Heir to the Throne
by Datenma
Summary: (shounen-ai: IsaacIvan, FelixPicard) For years, Prince Ivan has been forced to hide in the guise of a servant to Lord Hammet, but one night, after a strange storm strikes Vale, Ivan finds himself thrown into a world he thought was only a legend. What will
1. The White Knight

Heir to the Throne 

**By: **Datenma

Maybe it is because I have been playing Breath of Fire II for the GBA lately that I came up with the idea for this story. The idea of a character suddenly showing up without telling you their past and then you later finding out that they are either the prince/princess of a kingdom appeals to me so I thought…why couldn't that have happened in Golden Sun? For the longest time I wondered if Picard was King Hydros' (is that right?) son or something. It was never proven wrong. For all we know, Picard's mother could have been the king's daughter making Picard the King's only heir. Maybe I just think that because I saw Picard in this frilly pink dress one time…Ah heh. Let's not get into that.

Anyway, I have been on a long hiatus because of the many hurricanes that have been hitting my state. But yes, power has been out for a while and I just got it back last week. This week I was busy entertaining a friend and I'll be busy doing the same this week. I do not know if I will be getting back to this story or **Bloody Hearts** but as of now this story and **BH **are my current projects, along with one of my original stories, which might take priority because I am going to try to enter a writing contest. I need money but my mom doesn't want me to work yet.

As well as that, I am going to be volunteering for Red Cross on Base so that is going to take up a lot of my time as well and then of course there is school. I'm not going to get a weekend without homework until May. Which means that my weekend plans for the rest of the year are shot. Wait a couple of months and then I'll have Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break to work on my stories unless they cut it short because of the hurricanes. Then in my senior year, I should be able to work on my stories more since I'll technically have only two major classes, Latin and English. ::waves hands"" Of course, you don't want to hear about that. I'm just saying that I am going to be very busy from now on. Sorry if this causes any problems. If you want any story updates/just want to know where these stories are headed before hand, you can e-mail me at (there is an underscore between "remmy" and "lover" just in case it isn't there.) Or you can talk to me on AIM. My username is "Datenma" but I'm not going to be on a lot lately because my dad is in town.

**Note:** I just the Japanese names for the characters and some of the towns. If you have any questions, please ask me and I will be happy to answer your questions. Or else, go to the official Japanese site. That's where I got all of my information.

Read and review please!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Golden Sun.

**Warning: **Shounen-ai later in the story, some hints in the first few chapters. Don't like, don't read. Couples are Robin/Ivan and Garcia/Picard (both later in the story)****

**Chapter 1: **The White Knight

For as long as I can remember, I have been cooped up in Hammet Palace, hiding from those whom wish to see me dead by passing myself off as a servant boy to Lord Hammet and Lady Layana, founders of the town in which Hammet Palace was built, Karei Town. To me, this is how a prince is supposed to be treated. I have known nothing outside of this servitude and it would feel strange if that were to change all of the sudden. This is why today came as such a surprise to me.

I am sitting on the windowsill of my bedroom, reading a large tome by moonlight as I usually do when I have trouble sleeping and lately I have been having trouble sleeping because of a strange dream that insists on haunting me whenever I begin to drift off into a comfortable sleep. There is a light knock on my door followed by the sound of Lord Hammet's voice, coming out as a muffled whisper through the solid wood of the door. I quickly hide my book under my bed—twice Lady Layana had already yelled at me for reading by moonlight, she said that it would ruin my eyes—and hurry to the door, opening it slowly and poking my head out attentively.

"Yes, Milord?" He smiles at me warmly but I can tell that there is more to the smile, something dangerous behind it. I have been gifted with strange powers and these powers are partly the reason so many people want me dead. I have the ability to sense other people's emotions just by being around them and I can read their true intentions so it is hard to lie to me. Not only that but I can also control wind, to a certain degree. The wind can be an awesome force and sometimes frightful, it is not a toy that a mere child can play with just for fun. It takes concentration and a mental strength that few people my age would be likely to have and even I have a hard time using my powers.

"It has come to my attention, Ivan, that lately you have been having bizarre dreams that are…reoccurring?" I nod carefully, drawing myself away from my thoughts to listen to Lord Hammet. "I think that it is time that I took you somewhere, Ivan." For a moment, the abruptness of the statement catches me off guard and I lose my voice in spite of this. I shake my head to clear my mind.

"I do not understand, Milord." He waves his hand and turns his back to me, heading back down the hall. Just as I am about to follow him, he pauses in mid-step, does a quarter-turn and holds a finger to his nose, pushing it like a button three times.

"Get packed, Ivan. You are going on a caravan with me. We are going to Vault to trade with the locals and after that, we are going to Haidia Village. They have extended a special invitation to us as long as you accompany us." Excitement rushes through my body and my heart begins to pound faster.

This will be the first time in fourteen years that I will be allowed to leave Karei Town and this will also be the first time I will be allowed to accompany Lord Hammet on a caravan. Each time he returns from a trip to another town, he brings back the most amazing stories with him. Stories of monsters attacking them and then a heroic warrior suddenly appearing and fighting them off and then the warrior disappears before they are able to thank him. I wonder if something like that will happen on this trip.

I nod earnestly and bow to Lord Hammet before he can disappear down the corridor, "Thank you, Milord!" I call after him in a hushed whisper. I turn on my heel, shutting the door behind me and run about my room, gathering everything I would need for the caravan. Usually Lord Hammet's caravans last for a month so this should be no different. I pack for a long trip, grabbing my cloak and staff before I head out of my room, pausing in the doorway to give my room one last look before I leave. This trip could change me. I know it may be foolish to think like that but something very influential could happen on this trip and I want to be prepared for whatever that might be.

I meet up with Lord Hammet outside of the palace. The town is still sleeping, only the sound of the people around me breathing and the singing of crickets hiding in the bushes nearby. A man next to me gathers everything and piles the bags into the wagon then he turns to me and holds out his hand to me, offering to help me into the wagon. With a glance to Lord Hammet, I take the offered hand and hop into the wagon, the curtain of the wagon closing with one fluid movement as the man and Lord Hammet begin to talk in hushed voices.

I understand that eavesdropping is rude and I should not do that, but I cannot help but listen to their conversation. I lean against the curtain of rough cloth, careful not to lean out too far in fear of toppling out of the cart. The horse settled in front of the wagon paws the ground restlessly and flares its nostrils, making it twice as hard to hear what the two men are saying but I do catch something, maybe a little more than I could have hoped for. "…It is not safe for the prince, Milord. Think about what Sir Robin would say…he has already lost one royal under his watch. What would this do to his reputation as the White Knight of Weyard, Guardian to the Heirs of the four thrones to Heaven…if Prince Ivan were to be lost as well…" Lord Hammet shushes the man quickly and I can see the rough hand gesture he makes when the moonlight shines through the thick fabric surrounding the wagon.

"Ivan's powers…may be a great asset to Sir Robin and the villagers of Haidia. Besides, there was that fearful storm that struck until Haidia Village a few days ago…I have to fulfill my promise to Ivan's parents by taking him to Haidia Village." I hold my breath, wanting to hear more. He made a promise to my parents and it had to deal with him taking me to Haidia Village? Why had he never said anything to me about it? Why did he wait so long…? "Let's not discuss it right now. It will take a long time to reach Vault, which is where Sir Robin will met us to escort us to Haidia Village personally.

"I do not want Ivan to know about the truth of this caravan until the last possible moment. I do not understand the extent of their plans for him myself, but I am sure that they do not want to harm the boy."

"Of course, Milord." They break apart and I tear myself away from the entrance to the wagon, leaning back against the right wall and pretending to sleep as Lord Hammet takes a seat at the head of the wagon, picking up the reigns to guide the horse.

"He is sleeping…that is good." Lord Hammet gives the command and there is a hard tug as the wagon protests against the pull of the horse but eventually it gives way to the kinetic force and we begin our long journey to Vault.

I open my eyes slightly and shift so that my back is to Lord Hammet. I have heard rumors…fanciful tales of a handsome knight in white garb, he has strong powers, said to rival even that of the gods whom created Weyard long ago and still watch over the lands. According to the rumors, Sir Robin, as everyone called him, was chosen by the gods to protect four special royals, royals with powers to control the Elements. Before this, I thought that he was just some mythical hero Lady Layana told me about to help me sleep at night when I was younger. Sir Robin is real…and I am on my way to meet him…It is almost as if all of my dreams have come true in one night. Only one more thing would make this perfect but I know that that is impossible. My family…

Before I know it, my eyelids begin to feel heavy and my mind clouds, making it harder for me to keep a consistency with my thoughts. I give up before I can embarrass myself and curl up into a little ball, being cautious of what I lie on and drift off, enjoying the click-clop sound of the horse's hooves on the hard dirt road.

Two uneventful weeks later, we arrive in Vault with a beautiful crimson sunset behind us. The man who drove the second wagon takes the wagons and the horses to the other side of town while Lord Hammet leads me up a flight of stone stairs and finally to a two-story house built on top of a grassy hill. "The Mayor of the town has graciously allowed us to stay in his quarters during our stay in his town. He is an old friend of mine so there is no problem." It seems that you do not have to have my powers of empathy or telepathy to "see" into the hearts of others. That is one of the reasons I like Lord Hammet and Lady Layana so much, they seem to understand the way I work and the pains I go through even if they never had to deal with ridicule from villagers because of strange powers. Or even the skull-splitting pain that comes from trying to use my powers for a long time or just trying to use powerful skills.

"Y-yes, Milord." I turn away, staring at the patterns in the wood attentively, counting the rings to calculate how old the tree was when the lumberjacks cut them down. This tree must have been in its prime…before I can stop myself; I hold my hand out slowly and touch the cool wood of the door, shutting my eyes and trying to sense any emotion from the smooth material.

"Ivan?" I jump back, tearing my hand away from the door as if it had been on fire. "Please be careful. We cannot protect you out here, away from the palace. You are still in danger if anyone finds out who you really are, or even your powers. People may wish to exploit you for their own personal gains." Hammet lays a hand on my shoulder, giving me a careful shake. A mixture of sorrow and happiness come to me, but sincerity reigns supreme over those emotions and I smile wistfully at Lord Hammet. "The world is not what it once was, Ivan. The rulers of the four thrones to Heaven have all died and all but one of the Heirs identities' are unknown."

I turn my head as his hand slips from my shoulder, "I am sorry, Milord, but I thought that all of that was just a myth. I believe in the gods and goddesses who created Weyard, just as the teachings of Shima-sensei would wish of me, but the Heirs to the thrones of Heaven…it seems too good to be true that having four people with special powers sitting at the thrones would make everything right again." He sighs, looking back at the setting sun, a golden light now reflecting in his hazel eyes.

"I know that it sounds too good to be true, Ivan, but it is. I was a mere boy when the last rulers sat on the throne but it was a beautiful time, and peace was all around." Lord Hammet shakes head sorrowfully. "You must have noticed it yourself, Ivan. Peoples' hearts have grown black over time, a demon seed planted in their minds to make them strike out without reason, or even the least bit provoked. Then there are those horrid monsters roaming the lands…I do not want to scare you, Ivan, but things do not look good."

"It is all right, Milord. If it was meant to be, the Heirs will be found soon and things will return to the way that you remembered them when you were a child." I try give him a smile to reassure him that things would go as I said, but it is easier said than done so how could I believe what I said when I thought that all of this…the Heirs, the White Knight…they were all just myths to me two weeks ago.

The door to the house creaks open and a young man begins to step out, his head turned away from us as he pauses in mid-sentence. "I'll go out and look for them, Hamako. They should have been here by now, something might have happened…" He finally turns to us, "…to…them…?" Pale blue eyes widen as the man looks from me to Lord Hammet and back again. He returns his gaze to Lord Hammet, bowing his head to the Lord of Karei Town. "Lord Hammet, I was beginning to worry that something might have happened to you and the caravan. Haidia Village is eager to start trade with Karei Town." Trade with…? Is that the story Lord Hammet is going with to get me into Haidia Village? Or is this man mistaken?

Lord Hammet smiles, "Of course, I would not have it any other way. Ah, Sir Robin, this is Ivan." My heart skips a beat. My hero, my idol…the man that had chased away the demons in my dreams was stranding right in front of me. He turns to me and smiles at me, my knees almost buckling for some reason. I am excited; I have to admit to that emotion at the very least. He does not look like what the stories say, perhaps better because I am seeing him in person this time, the real him.

I hold my hand out to him tentatively, but he breaks our gaze by lowering into a low bow, bows that he should only give to the Heirs, or kings of countries, not to a prince of a small city who is undercover as a servant boy. Before I can pull my hand away, he takes it in his and brings it up to his lips. "May the Light of Venus shine down upon you, my fair prince." He whispers before kissing my hand.

I do not know what to say. What do you say to a man who has just kissed your hand? I stutter as I try to find my voice and muttering out one of the most stupid things I have ever uttered. "T-thank you…" He pulls out of the bow, not releasing my hand, and continues to smile down at me, the motion lighting up his pale blue eyes.

Lord Hammet clears his throat, breaking the comfortable silence we had fallen into. When I turn to look at him, he has a knowing smile on his face and I feel my cheeks redden so I pull my hand out of Sir Robin's grasp, making him look at me with a questioning expression on his face. "We should go inside before night falls. I am sure that you are both tired from your trip from Karei Town." He takes a step back and allows Lord Hammet and me to enter the house first.

After he closes and locks the door, he shows us to the common room in the middle of the house and Lord Hammet sits down in a soft, plushy chair in the corner of the room while I sit on the couch with Sir Robin. "It means a lot to me that you would come all the way out here just for the sake of helping me, Your Highness." I start, quickly looking to him.

"_Y-your Highness_? M-me?" Lord Hammet nods.

"While you are in the care of Sir Robin, you are allowed to be yourself, the true prince you are." He motions for Sir Robin to continue, my heart still pounding loudly in my chest. I wish everyone would just slow down with all this news, it is a little much to handle all at once. Maybe if they took it slowly I would be able to understand better but this…

"Your Highness, if you wish, I could show you to your room so that you can rest while I discuss everything with Lord Hammet. I can fill you in once you are rested." In spite of myself, I smile warmly at the White Knight. It is strange to me when someone that I have just met shows sympathy towards me, something that not even Lord Hammet has done in light of this.

"It is all right, I need to be here to hear all of this. I do not want to inconvenience you by asking you to repeat yourself on my behalf. Also, please call me Ivan, it is strange when someone of your caliber addresses me by such a high title." He smiles weakly, looking away from me and focusing his eyes on the coffee table before him.

"I cannot do that. Just as it would feel weird for you to be addressed as anything other than your formal name, it would also be weird for me to address you as anything other than 'Your Highness'. My sincerest apologizes if it causes you any discomfort, Your Highness." Lord Hammet allows us a moment of silence as Sir Robin and I watch each other, with me trying to study his emotions and he…I do not know what he is doing. Lord Hammet finally clears his throat and Sir Robin tears his eyes away from mine to look at the man. "Yes, Lord Hammet?"

"You were going to discuss _everything_ with us." Sir Robin dons a thoughtful look as he leans back in the couch, suddenly looking much younger than he had appeared only moments before.

"There is a difference in the meaning of 'everything' to you and the meaning of it to, His Highness." He gestures towards me carefully, trying to be respectful as possible, I suspect. "There are things that I am at liberty to speak about to His Highness alone, but the Mayor of Haidia Village has admitted that, since you are His Highness's caretaker at this point, there are certain things that you are entitled to know yourself. We do not want you to worry about His Highness while he is in my care." I blink between Sir Robin and Lord Hammet, still confused about what is going on between the two men.

"Of course, just tell me all that I am allowed to know and then in private, you and Ivan can discuss all that needs to be taken care of." Sir Robin nods respectfully to Lord Hammet.

"That is how the Mayor wanted me to discuss things." He looks down at his gloved hands, both resting on his knees, before he lifts his eyes to look at Lord Hammet and me. "First, I think I should explain about the Heirs to the four thrones of Heaven, and my duty as their guardian because, even if many people know of the legend and pass it on to loved ones or friends, most do not know or understand the true story. It was something that the Gods deemed unfit for mere mortals to know, well, mortals that were not involved with the Heirs and myself.

"Long ago, before any of the people alive today roamed the land, the Gods and Goddesses walked in Weyard among the mortals. Times were peaceful and no one knew of hatred, greed or pain. There were no demons and the continents were connected as one super continent, not separated by vast amounts of water as they are today." I find picturing such a thing hard. The hearts of man have turned dark, just as Lord Hammet said to me before. Greed and hatred run rampant among us and even the most innocent of hearts can be turned with the least bit of provocation. It is a problem of loyalty and what binds you to the side of justice, as well as your values and how you discern the difference between right and wrong. To some, the two lines sometimes cross and at times, that is true.

"But soon, the Gods and Goddesses knew that they could no longer remain among the humans they created. They were beginning to become an annoyance to them, the humans praying to them for one thing, begging for that. They believed that it would be better for them to leave, to make the mortals forget about them, maybe even completely if that was at all possible." He folds his hands together, resting his chin on them as he leans forward, propping his elbows up on his knees. "But they knew that they could not protect the world from greed, hatred, or the other emotions that threaten Weyard today, if they were far away in the Heavens. Thus, they needed four special people from Weyard to act as…vessels of a sort to the Gods and Goddesses. They had free will but I suppose they could be seen as oracles, the Heirs to the four thrones of Heaven. The Gods and Goddesses had to choose carefully, the Heirs had to be pure of heart, undying loyalty and courage that knew no bounds. They searched for a long time, and just as they were about to consent to defeat, four people appeared before them, each praying for the power to save a loved one.

"This was what they had been looking for all along. In return for saving the life of that one loved one, the four people were willing to sacrifice their own lives, as long as that one person that meant the most to them was alive and safe, but more importantly to them, happy." The way he speaks, with such intelligence, such careful attention to what he is saying…who is this man? He is not a normal person, even for being the Guardian. "The Gods and Goddesses came to them in the dead of night and explained their own plight. In return for the lives of their loved ones, the four must station themselves at four points of Weyard's great expanses. They hesitated, but it was only for a moment, the thought of having the loved ones back was too great an offer to pass up and they all eagerly accepted the task set before them.

"In order for them to become Heirs, they were first given the power to control one of the four elements that make up Weyard. The powers they had are quite similar to yours and mine, Your Highness." I start for a moment, surprised to find another person with strange powers like mine. Therefore, he would understand me, more than anyone else that I have met so far would at least. "Just as we have to use our mental powers of concentration, as did they. The only difference was that it came easier to them since it was given to them and not earned or drawn out through strenuous training. They also had more control over the elements, more power to do with as they pleased.

"They knew the danger of becoming too power hungry, of course, so they used their powers wisely, keeping them secret from others, even the people they loved most." Something painful passes over his eyes and I find myself lifting my arm to place a comforting hand on his shoulder but I stop myself and pull my hand back, sitting on it to make sure that I do not accidentally repeat the action. "They were given extended lives once they had proven that they were capable of keeping the peace in Weyard. However, they were not immortal, not even the power of the immortal Gods and Goddesses could give them that. Their powers were passed onto their children and to their children after them.

"However, the heritage of the four thrones to Heaven is not something that is handed down from generation to generation. It is something that is earned before you are born, your soul's true image, the true extent of your character determines just who the Heirs are. That is why it is so hard to find the Heirs once the pervious ones cross over." He smiles reassuringly, "There is only one person who knows just who the Heirs are, but that is only once they are before him and only if their powers awaken at that moment. It is a troublesome task but the Gods and Goddesses wanted it to be this way.

"That is all that I can reveal at the moment." He bows his head to Lord Hammet and then turns to me, smiling once again. "If there is nothing more for me to explain to you at this moment, I will show you and Lord Hammet to your rooms." He pauses for a moment before rising to his feet. I stand up quickly, almost tripping over my own feet but regaining my balance before I fall on my face. He allows himself to laugh but I can tell that he wanted to do more, suppressing most of the laugh with a powerful restraint.

Lord Hammet waves his hand at us. "You two run along. I am not tired so I think I will wait for Ekarl to return from the stables." Sir Robin nods and leads me out of the common room and up a flight of wooden stairs. The stairs lead into a large hallway, lit with a glowing golden light by the small wax candles set up on either side of the hallway walls. I follow him down the hall until he pauses in front of a wooden door rimmed with blue engravings.

"I hope that you will find this room to your liking." He leans across, twists the doorknob and pushes the door open with a delicate hand. I lean over and gasp, surprised to have a huge room all to myself. I turn to him quickly, trying to protest. He holds up a hand, his fingertips inches from my lips. "I know that you think this is too much, Your Highness, but you are a prince and you are entitled to this, no, in my opinion, you are entitled to more. You have endured a great deal because of other's dark hearts but you no longer have to worry about them. I promise to protect you with all my strength."

My heart is racing again. Just those simple spoken words are enough to send my heart pounding a mile a minute. Maybe it is the great respect I hold for him or the other way around, or the way he treats me after spending so little time with me…I do not know but something about this man… "T-thank you." His words…they seem to mean so much to me. I wish I could one day earn the respect he pays me. I feel guilty for not doing anything in the past, it is almost as if I am participating in some sort of crime against Sir Robin.

"If you need anything, I will only me across the hall in the room facing yours. Do not hesitate to call for me. I am only here because of you." He bows to me and turns to his room, opening the door and stepping into the room. Just as I am about to turn my back to him and enter my own room, he begins to speak. "Your Highness, please call me Robin." Before I can turn back to him, his door snaps shut, leaving me standing in the hallway alone, staring at the wooden door that separates us. The myths did not do him justice. He is a far greater man than in the stories.

A small smile tugs at the corner of my lips and I allow it to pass, tilting my head down slightly but keeping my eyes on the door. "Robin…"

After spending an almost excruciatingly long three hours in my room, sitting near the window so that I can look around the small town or stargaze, I finally give up on sleep ever coming to me and head out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind me as not to wake anyone. I tiptoe down the hallway and find stairs leading up to the roof. I hurry up them and push the passage above me up, letting it down gently so it does not bang against the roof.

Looking around, I am glad to find that no one else is on the roof. I pull myself up onto the ledge and close the door behind me before walking to the edge of the roof and gazing up at the stars. It is hard to imagine that the Gods and Goddesses are truly real, that they once walked among the mortals of ancient Weyard. It makes them seem more real, as if they could have been people like us at one point, making mistakes here and there and striving to correct them or letting them be, hoping for the best result.

A gentle gust of wind blows my bangs out of my eyes, calming me at the same time. I shut my eyes, letting the wind blow my thoughts away. Before I know it, I begin to drift off, leaning against the railing as my eyelids grow heavy and my breathing grows shallow. Only a few minutes pass before I receive a strange vision of a dark room, clothes littered haphazardly along the wooden floor. A pair of pale feet appear, not as if the person is standing but lying on the ground. I tighten my eyes as a painful emotion grips my chest, almost as if someone were trying to rip out my heart from the inside out. Unconsciously, I grab a handful of fabric near my heart, allowing my fingernails to bit into my palm with the cloth as the only protection. "Un…"

"Your Highness! Prince Ivan!" Someone is shaking me, yelling in my ear but I cannot pull away from the vision, even though it has grown dark, the last thing that I saw was a naked pair of legs bathed in the silver light of a full moon. There is a pause from the person shaking me, almost painful in its obvious worry and sorrow. "Snap out of it, please! Your Highness!" A cool hand presses to my forehead and all my thoughts leave me once again and I slump forward onto the person's chest. "…Your Highness?"

I open my eyes, having difficulty making them focus on the pale blue fabric pressing against my face. I pull away slowly, swaying until a pair of strong hands grab onto my arms gingerly, trying to steady me. "Robin…?" His hair is not what it was when we first met him; it is not heavy with water as if he had only been taking a shower minutes ago and did not have time to dry his hair. He breathes a sigh of relief at my simple question.

"I am so relieved, I had thought something terrible had happened to you. What are you doing out here by yourself, Your Highness?" I lean forward, my mind still fogged with the remnants of sleep, and I press my forehead against his chest. He lets out an uncomfortable squeak but does not try to push me away, merely slipping his arms around my body to hold me closer. "We can talk about it later then."

"What are your powers, Robin?" I have been wondering what his powers were, ever since I first found out that he did have powers like mine. He pauses in answering, most likely wondering why I would want to know so I continue before he can answer. "You seemed so in tune with my emotions, I was just wondering if you could control the Air like me."

"Oh…I see." He shakes his head once, very slowly, as if he were unsure of the action himself. "No, I am not an Air Energist like yourself. I have the ability to control the Earth." If I had been fully conscious, I might have been a little disappointed at this news but it is all right. I am fine with it as long as he allows me to stay in his arms like this. I feel protected and warm…

"Energist?" I ask, maybe it was just to keep him talking to me, to try to avoid any uncomfortable silences that may fall between us.

"It is what we are called, the name given to us by the Gods." He explains, sounding a little tired himself. "There are few Energists on Weyard but we are all connected somehow to the first Energists, the first Heirs. As there are four different elements to control, there are four different types of Energists. Earth, Air, Fire and Water are the four different elements but it does not matter what element your parents had. I guess you can say that the elements chose the Energists. Some children of powerful Energists never attain powers and sometimes the children of people who are not Energists receive fearsome powers. I suppose that you can say the ability to control an element sometimes skips a generation or two."

"Why did Lord Hammet have to take me here? What am I supposed to help with?" I pull away, shaking my head in attempts of getting my bangs out of my eyes. He releases his hold on me and leans back on his hands.

"This can wait until morning, Your Highness. You need to get your rest. The mayor of Haidia wanted me to return to the village as soon as you were in my care." I shake my head. "Your Highness…"

"I cannot sleep, I'm too busy thinking about all of this. So with that in mind, it would not hurt anything if you were to tell me why you need my help." He sighs but a smile slips onto his face as he shakes his head, laughing softly to himself.

"No, the mayor will explain everything to you once we reach Haidia Village. There are other things that I have to tell you but not tonight. In the morning, I will be more than happy to answer your questions but not right now. We both need our rest." He stands up and holds his hand out for mine; pulling me to my feet after I grasp his hand. I thank him and start to head to the door that leads back into the Mayor's house but pause when I realize that he is not following me. I turn around to find him leaning against the railing, gazing up at the stars as I had been doing when I first came out to the roof.

"Aren't you going to go to bed?" He smiles, not turning around to face me.

"I like to come out here at night when everyone in town is sleeping. I used to do the same thing in Haidia Village. It helps to clear my head when things get to be too much for me. I know what the people say about me, that I am such a great hero, but really, I am just a normal teenager. We can all become overwhelmed so easily, Your Highness, you must realize that. You are not alone in your troubles. I understand what you are going through. I was thrown into this at a young age myself." As I move to stand next to him, he lowers his gaze to the ground, his eyes attainting a dazed look. "You should go to sleep, Your Highness. You do not want to sleep the day away tomorrow." I must have been staring at him the whole time because he gives me a bewildered look.

"Robin, could…I stay here with you? I promise I will not ask any more questions. I guess it is because I have trouble sleeping in a weird place. This is the first time I have been out of Hammet Palace since I first came there." He nods.

"I would not mind it if you stayed with me, Prince Ivan." He turns his back to the village and sinks to the floor, brining his knees up to his chest. "I heard that Lord Hammet and Lady Layana were under specific orders to make sure that you did not leave the palace until the time came for you to do so. It was the best way that they could protect you because the people who want to kill you are not normal murderers." I blink down at him.

"Not normal…? What do you mean by that? Are they like us?"

"It is difficult for me to explain. I myself have not gone against them but I have seen them retreating from one of the thrones. I did not sense any power from them and so the mayor believes that they might be normal humans controlled by someone with our powers."

"An Energist…?" He cuts me off before I can finish my sentence.

"It is just a theory. We do not know much about them at the moment, which makes them very dangerous to us." I merely nod, not knowing what more to say about the matter. After a few minutes of silence, he pats the bit of roof next to him, "Your Highness?" I lower myself to the ground next to him, yawning as I do so. I blush, covering my mouth as he laughs. "Hopefully you will not have trouble sleeping now."

"There has to be more…" I do not know why I said that, so suddenly without even being provoked but it has also been bothering me since Lord Hammet asked me to go on the caravan with him. For fourteen years, I have stayed in Hammet Palace and Lord Hammet and Lady Layana never allowed me to leave for fear of the murderers after me. Then suddenly, Lord Hammet comes to me in the middle of the night to ask me on a caravan…this is more than a simple request from my parents or whoever had instructed Lord Hammet to take me to Robin. "The reason I was brought here…who am I?"

Robin shifts uncomfortably next to me before he speaks softly, "You are…Prince Ivan, that is all that you need to know. Have faith that everything will soon be revealed to you, Your Highness, but do not go seeking things prematurely. You may not like the answers that await you."

**-TBC-**

Hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I will try to get to the second chapter as soon as I possibly can but my grades might suffer if I continue the way I am. Then again, I might be lying to you when I say that. I dunno. Until next time…thank you so very much for reading. Please note, I will not update until I receive at least one review. Which means my beta-reader Barbelo-san will be the only one reading this ::runs off to force friends into liking Golden Sun so they can read it as well::

I am such a spoiled little brat ::bops self::


	2. Forgotten Dreams

**Heir to the Throne**

**By:** Datenma

**Disclaimer:** Sadly I do not own Golden Sun :sighs:

**Warning: **Shounen-ai hints

Sorry for the wait. I actually had this finished a long time ago but my computer crashed (thankfully I had printed this out before hand and was able to save it). I'm a little out of touch with Golden Sun so I have to play the games (should only take a couple of days if I don't level up). Spring break is next week so I might try to work on the third chapter.

Also, shameless plug XD On FictionPress I put up a new story called "Judgment Day" I'm not sure how good it is…My name there is Okami Cloud if you didn't know...

Thanks for the reviews, everyone. I'm glad that you enjoyed the first chapter. I hope that you like the second one even more!

**Chapter 2:** Forgotten Dreams

"There has to be more…" I do not know why I said that, so suddenly without even being provoked but it has also been bothering me since Lord Hammet asked me to go on the caravan with him. For fourteen years, I have stayed in Hammet Palace and Lord Hammet and Lady Layana never allowed me to leave for fear of the murderers after me. Then suddenly, Lord Hammet comes to me in the middle of the night to ask me on a caravan…this is more than a simple request from my parents or whoever had instructed Lord Hammet to take me to Robin. "The reason I was brought here…who am I?"

Robin shifts uncomfortably next to me before he speaks softly, "You are…Prince Ivan, that is all that you need to know. Have faith that everything will soon be revealed to you, Your Highness, but do not go seeking things prematurely. You may not like the answers that await you."

Wise advice and yet cryptic at the same time. I turn and look up at him, quickly taking note that he is looking up at the sky again, his eyes losing their previous dazed look. "I suppose that I should be happy with that knowledge for now. I mean…things happen when they were meant to happen and if I was meant to learn who I really am, then that information will come to me in time…when I am most ready to hear it."

An amused smile appears on his lips at this and he turns to look at me, "You certainly are wise beyond your years. If I had told that to anyone else, they probably would have jumped me, shook me roughly and continue to yell at me and call me rude names until I told them what they wanted to know." He laughs to himself, politely holding his hand up in front of his mouth as his laughter breaks off into a yawn. I smile and giggle before shaking my head and rising to my feet slowly, rocking back on the balls of my feet. Robin looks up at me with a puzzled look on his face, "Are you going to go to bed now?"

"I think that you were right. We are both tired and we need to get our rest." I hold my hand out for him and he takes it after hesitating for a long moment. I brace myself and help him to his feet, "Besides, you said that you wanted to return to Haidia Village as soon as possible, correct?" Robin nods slowly, taking a step back away from me to keep a respectful distance, but he still does not release my hand, "And it should take a while before we reach your village so we should leave tomorrow morning."

"If the timing is all right for you, Your Highness." I nod, pulling my hand from his grip gently and then head back to the door, leaning down to pull it open. I can feel him hesitate behind me but the sound of his footsteps on the roof echo behind me and I feel his presence nearby. "It should not take too long to reach Haidia Village from here. Lord Hammet will leave for Karei Town once he has traded goods with the merchants of Vault, as well as keeping up with our cover, he still has to make sure that trade runs smoothly." He turns away and for a long moment, just stares in front of him, his lips part slightly as if he wants to say something but thinking better of it, he draws them together again.

Finally, as I lean my head back against the railing, he shifts and looks down at me, "I hope I am not being too forward by asking you something like this, Your Highness, but I am a little curious…what do you think about all of this? It is not…fair of us to put you through all of this so quickly, with such rushed explanations. That is probably one of the reasons you are having trouble sleeping." He shakes his head as he sighs and moves along on the roof until he is lying on his back. "I am so used to all of this. Even Lord Hammet knows a little more than you would because he has been keeping some form of contact with Prince Garcia's father."

I smile to myself, regardless of my confusion, and bring my knees up to my chest, resting my chin on them and tilting my head to the side to keep him in my line of vision. "It is all right. I have to think about it this way, at least I am being included in all of this, even with how little I know about what is taking place around me. I always wanted to be included in something special, so that I could live up to my parents' expectations of me, whatever those expectations may have been." I feel my smile fade as tears begin to well up in my eyes and I try to blink them away.

"It must be difficult…" He whispers, concern apparent in his voice. "I know this, though, Your Highness, all parents are the same. They love their children unconditionally and that when your parents had to give you to Lord Hammet so that you would be safe, it was one of the most difficult decisions they had to ever make, parting with you. But it was for your safety, so that you could live on and make their memories proud, proud of what you have become and what you are going to do."

"I know, but still…it would have been nice to get to know them. I do not even know what they looked like, let alone how they acted, I mean…what if they were mean?" I bite down on my bottom lip as soon as those words leave my mouth. He sits up, shaking his head again.

"Your parents were anything but mean, Your Highness. I may not have met them but my father did and he said that they were very kind to him while he visited their kingdom." I lift my head off my knees, turning to look at him.

"Which was where?" He gives me a quick, small smile before pushing himself off the ground and dusting off the back of his clothes.

"Wow, look at the time! It is getting late; we should really go to be now. Separate beds, of course." I feel my cheeks grow hot with the comment and I jump to my feet, punching his arm. He laughs and presses a finger to his lips before I can even open my mouth to speak. "Everyone in the house is sleeping, so we have to be quiet if we do not want them to yell at us for waking them up. The mayor can be very grouchy when someone wakes him up." I nod and follow him back into the mayor's house and down the hallway to our rooms.

"I am a little curious about something, Robin…" He pauses just before his door, turning to look at me over his shoulder. I lean back against my door, looking down at my feet, tapping my foot on the floor lightly. "You must have something more important to do than coming to Vault and…babysitting me. I thought that Lord Hammet was going to take me to Haidia Village after we traded with Vault."

"I do not want to go into it too much, but…I wanted to be there for you. I know what it is like, being trust into something you know next to nothing about and everyone automatically assumes you will know what to do, that you will be able to make the right decision. I wanted to help you out, make it easier for you when you did find out. The truth is, I am confused about much of this myself. I guess I was not much help to you." He nods to me and pushes his door open. Instinctively, I take a step forward, holding my hand out to grab the back of his shirt.

"Robin, wait a second." He turns back around just as I complete my steps and we bump into each other, my forehead slamming into his chest and his chin bruising the top of my head. We pull apart quickly, groaning in unison. "Sorry about that…"

"No, I'm sorry." He rubs his chin, letting out the breath he had been holding. "You were going to say something." I nod gently, gingerly massaging the top of my head and my forehead.

"Don't say it like that. It isn't that I'm not glad that you were the one who came to Vault to escort me to Haidia Village, I am glad that it was you. If it had been anyone else, I do not think that I would be able to take in this information so well. You actually understand what I am going through and I really appreciate that, but…you are a very important person, not just for Haidia Village, but also for all of Weyard. I am not important enough for you to come all the way here just for me." He leans back against his door, one hand on the handle, his right shoulder raised slightly as he watches me.

"Everyone is special to someone, Your Highness, keep that in mind. No one is measured by how many people think that they are important. It matters that someone out there, at least one person that you love and you know loves you back, thinks that you are important, that you are special and loved to them. That is what really counts, nothing else matters in this world." He smiles at me, nodding his head, "Out of all of the people who respect me and hold me above all others, only my friends and family count in my heart, because they know and understand me. Now you should really get some sleep. Good night." With that said, he turns away from me and walks into his room, closing his door shut behind him.

I find myself staring at his closed door once more but quickly turn around and walk into my room to save myself from any further embarrassment that might befall me. As I walk to the middle of the room, I silently debate whether to sit on the windowsill for a couple of minutes. I feel my eyelids droop as I begin to take a step towards the windowsill so I turn to the left and fall face first onto the soft blankets, sleep quickly taking me before I even have time to pull the covers up or change out of my clothes.

_I feel as if I am floating. Where am I? I was lying in my bed a second ago and now…this…_

_It is dark and cold here. Wherever **here** is._

_I shiver and turn my head to look around, darkness the only thing greeting me whenever I turn. I certainly do not like this place in the least. The sound of wind rushing past my ear makes me turn around quickly, holding my hand out to defend myself from whatever had just zipped past._

_Nothing._

_I look down and gulp. Nothing below me. Nothing in front of me. Nothing behind me. Just…nothing. I collapse to my knees as fear grips my entire being. This must be a dream though; there is no other explanation for this. I was in my room just moment ago. I fell asleep and now I am dreaming. Having a nightmare is more like it, though._

_"Ivan." Just as I was about to cover my ears and bring my knees up to my chest to curl into a ball, I recoil and looking around frantically. "Ivan, can you hear me? Do not be afraid. This is a sort of test." I lower my hands back to the groundan invisible floor made of shadows perhapsand lift my head to the voice._

_"Who's there? Who are you and how do you know my name?" A small laugh from the bodiless voice, almost humbling in its softness. I feel myself relaxing without even wanting to._

_"I cannot tell you that yet, Ivan. Just for now, know that I am a friend. There are things that I must tell you before you leave for Haidia Village with the White Knight." A bright, golden light forms a circle before me and I hold my arm up to block my eyes from the brilliant light. Moment later, a woman appears out of the bright light and as the light disappears, as does the darkness and I find myself sitting on the ground in a beautiful forest clearing. "Ivan, I want you to listen to my very carefully."_

_"Yes, ma'am." I whisper under my breath, nodding to make sure that she understands even if she had not heard my soft words. She smiles and kneels down in front of me, smoothing out her gown as she sits on the dew-kissed grass._

_"Please trust the White Knight, he is one of the few people you will be able to trust in your journey."_

_"To Haidia Village?" I ask, a little bewildered since her words made it sound as if this 'journey' would take me farther than Haidia Village, to other towns. Maybe even…other continents._

_She smiles honestly, a solemn look appearing in her pale violet eyes. "I cannot explain everything to you. There are things that you will need to find out for yourself and not even Sir Robin or the others will be able to tell you for they do not know themselves."_

_"Who are you? Why are you telling me this?"_

_"I haven't much time, Ivan." She says, shaking her head and reaching out to place her hands on my shoulders. "There will be others that you can trust, but not many and there will be one person that you may think is against you, but he is not. He is on your side and he has joined your enemies to make sure that they do not kill you or the others._

_"And there is another. He is leading everything from the shadows, an ancient evil resurrected to either control or destroy all of Weyard and not even the Gods can destroy him. He is dangerous, you must stay away from him at all costs until you are ready to fight him." I blink, pulling out of her grip._

_"What are you talking about? You aren't making any sense." The forest shattered like a mirror, smashing to the ground and the abyss returned, seeming to close in all around me this time, threatening to smother me._

_"Don't you understand? It is not supposed to make sense." A male voice this time, filled with something much darker and more foreboding than the woman's voice. It sends a shiver down my spine and I wrap my arms around my body, trying not to shiver again. "You are better off left confused, not knowing anything because once you learn the truth, they will have no more use for you. Join me, Ivan. I will not abandon you as they will. They do not care for you. They will leave you eventually and they will not even care._

_"What do you say, Ivan? Will you join us?" I may be confused but I know one thing, even if this probably was some strange, wild dream that I was going to wake up from soon, I had to say no to this soon, I have to say no to this voice, whoeveror whatever for that matterit belonged to._

_"I do not know who you are, but I know that I cannot trust you. The answer is no." Laughter filled the air, much worse than just the man's speaking voice. It seemed to echo all around the abyss, never ending, always bouncing off something, coming back at me, almost hitting me like a physical blow._

_"You will regret saying no to me, Ivan. However, the offer is still open, if you ever feel like coming to me with your tail tucked between your legs. Remember this when they turn against you."_

Sunlight. Pure, pristine sunlight piercing through the wariness of sleep and bringing me out of my dreams, which, for some reason, I could not remember for the life of me. I roll over onto my back and sit up slowly, blinking the foggy remnants of sleep out of my eyes and slipping to my feet, only to stumble and fall onto the wooden floor.

As I sit there, I try to remember something about the dream I had been having. I knew it was something strange but important at the same time. However, the harder I tried, the more it seemed to elude me. I groan in frustration and ruffle my already messy hair. "So frustrating…there should be a way to record dreams while you sleep so you could know what you were dreaming about later on."

Rolling over onto my side, I look out the window and watch the sunlight slowly rising above the rooftops of the buildings outside the window. It continued to rise until a golden beam of light played on the floor, illuminating my hand and part of my arm. I close my eyelids hallways and breathe in deeply before letting it out slowly, relaxing on the cool wooden floor.

"It is very strange, isn't it?" My muscles tense up at the sudden, unfamiliar voice and I sit up quickly, jerking my head around the room until I lock eyes with a young boy wearing a black hood. He smiles at me from across the room, his pale blue eyes lighting up under white-blonde hair. "The dreams of Jupiter Energists are said to hold precognitive attributes, only mixed with their own dreams, it is sometimes hard to discern what our minds are trying to tell us and what is being sent to us by the Gods."

The grogginess of sleep leaves me only to be replaced by fear and confusion. Who is this boy and how did he get in here? Not only that, but what on earth is he talking about. His smile widens, almost childlike, except for his eyes. Those cold, emotionless eyes. The eyes of a murderer. "Who are you?"

"That is an answer for another time, Ivan." He tilts his head to the side, taking a step forward. I blink and then his face is suddenly inches from mine as he leans forward, grinning. I jump and practically throw myself back, my back slamming against the side of my bed and sending shooting pains throughout my entire body. "Now, now, now. Do be careful. We would not want anything to happen to you, Ivan." You are far too important. You will be the one…that breaks the seal. You will be the one who brings him to me." He pulls back from me and lifts his arm up, almost as if he was going to pull me to my feet, but then a small, bright red light begins to glow from his fingertip. "Take care." The light expands until it envelops the boy and as it finally begins to fade, the boy disappears with it, leaving nothing but a fading afterimage in its wake.

I release the breath that I had been holding and let my shoulders relax. I lift a quivering hand to my face, pushing my bangs out of my eyes and tangling my fingers up in my hair. Things certainly seemed to be growing increasingly confusing by the minute, by the end of the week, I suspect my brain will explode from all the new information.

In the hallway, just outside of my room, I hear the heavy click of someone's boots as the owner runs up the stairs, down half of the hallway before slowly to a walk, hesitating in front of the door and then knocking. "Your Highness, are you all right?" Robin. I relax even more and let out a soft sigh of relief, "I heard something crash from downstairs and I was worried that something had happened to you. May I come in?"

"Y-yes." The doorknob twists from the outside and he slowly pushes the door open, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "I hope I did not worry you. I sort of…fell out of bed, I am such a klutz." I laugh, rubbing the back of my head. It was a cover since I was not sure what was going on. Between all that I had been told by Lord Hammet and Robin, to that dream and then the little boy suddenly appearing and disappearing, I do not know what to believe and I was becoming very confused.

"I do not believe that is true." He says, walking over to me and holding his hand out to help me off the floor. He is wearing a pure white tunic with only a silver trim around the sleeves and at the bottom; with this, he wears a long white-sleeved shirt, white pants and white gloves to cover his hands. I take his hand and he pulls me to his feet, "You do not seem like a klutz to me."

I blush and laugh nervously. I laugh a lot when I am nervous, probably to break the tension. Funny how it never seems to work, "You're just saying that because I am a prince." He shakes his head.

"I may have respect for all royals, as everyone should, but I do not say things that are untrue, especially not to someone with royal blood. I may have a great deal of respect for them but my first duty is to myself and I will not destroy my morals just so that one person can be happy for a few moments out of their life." I blink, surprised to say the least. He had come off so differently before and then suddenly this… "If someone needs that to be happy, then they have lived a meaningless life." He releases my hand gently and takes a step back as a smile slips onto his face, "Lord Hammet requests your presence in the stables, I shall escort you there."

"Now?" The sudden change in subject left me dazed and confused about Robin's personality. I can tell now that it is going to be hard to figure him out. He nods and I grab my cloak from the chair I had thrown it on last night and tie it around my shoulders. "Okay."

The stables were on the other side of the town, near a small well where two children were running around the stone basin, playing tag. As we near them, they stop in their games and waves to Robin, calling him over to join them. I turn back to see him smile kindly as them, shaking his head, "I have something to take care of right now but I promise you that as soon as I finish with it, I will come over and play with you." They smile and laugh, nodding before starting to run off again.

"That was kind of you." I comment, continuing to watch him. It may have just been my imagination, of maybe even the glare of the sun in my eyes but his cheeks reddened at my comment and he scratched the side of his cheek.

Not turning to look at me, he laughs shortly, "Do you think so? I come to Vault a lot, on errands for the Mayor and the King, and I make some acquaintances while I am here. Those two are nice and they help the Mayor out whenever there are chores to be done or when the town is having a festival."

"And their reward is playing tag with the White Knight?" I tease, giggling. He groans and I pat his shoulder, still laughing, "Ah, don't worry, Robin. Your secret is safe with me! No one is going to know that you are really just a big softie at heart." He shakes his head and makes a move to take my wrist but stops, looking into my eyes for a long moment, the sound of the children's laughter seeming to be the only sound loud enough to reach us.

Finally, he turns away and starts walking towards the stables again, leaving me to follow him. My heart is pounding. I can hear it in my ears and I feel lightheaded, almost as if I had been running for a long distance without stopping. I probably overexerted myself or something or maybe I am just not used to this town yet.

It may sound stupid but I might be feeling homesick for Hammet Palace, even my life as a servant, even if it was just a cover. I do not like being held up above people but I also do not like being treated as if I am lower than someone. I wonder how it is for Robin. He respects royals but he is held above commoners and everyone knows his name and the legend behind him.

I am not given any more time to mull over these thoughts as Robin pauses in front of the doors to the stables and waits for me to catch up with him. He slides the door open and leads me inside, the smell of hay attacking my nose as soon as we enter. I sneeze, nearly falling to the ground, but I bump into Robin's arm instead and he grabs me reflexively, holding me steady as I sneeze again. "Are you allergic to…?" I nod before he can finish his sentence.

Lord Hammet and Ekarl turn to look at us from the other side of the barn where they are standing in front of one of the horses we had taken on the caravan with us from Karei Town. Lord Hammet rushes to my side just as I sneeze again. "I am sorry, Ivan, I forgot that you were allergic to hay. Robin, please take him out of here and I will meet you outside."

Robin nods as he turns me around and helps me towards the exit; "We'll be by the well when you are done here, Lord Hammet." He nods, waving to us as he returns to Ekarl.

Once we are outside, I start breathing normally, only sniffling now and then as Robin takes me to the well where those two kids were playing earlier. They are gone now but I can still hear their laughter nearby.

Robin pushes me down onto the well gently before pulling off the glove covering his left hand and pressing the back of his hand to my forehead. "You should have said something _before_ we went into the stables." I shrug my shoulders, looking down at my feet to try to avoid his worried gaze.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about that…" I whisper as he sits down next to me, resting the heel of his boot on the well and letting the other slide into the grass. "I suppose everyone had a lot on their minds." I shake my head, "It was my responsibility to remember but I guess it just slipped."

"There wasn't any damage done, I hope. You seem perfectly fine now."

"Y-yeah, it passes quickly." He nods and looks around the small clearing. After nothing but silence for two or so minutes, I clear my throat and he turns back to me abruptly, looking a little surprised. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can, but I cannot guarantee you that I will be able to answer your question." I nod.

"It is all right, it's kind of stupid anyway…" I trail off, looking down at my feet just to have something to look at other than his eyes. I see him shake his head out of the corner of my eye.

"There is no such thing as a stupid question, Ivan. It obviously means something if you asked it. Just ask, it is better to get things off your chest." I nod again, fiddle with the end of my tunic and take a deep breath.

"Well, I was wondering who the Heirs were." Robin smiles.

"That, I can answer. We only know of three, which means that the Jupiter Heir is the final Heir that we must find. As I mentioned before, it is not an easy task to find the Heirs. During most of their life, there true powers are sealed away to protect themselves and give them a chance to have a normal life as well as give them time to mature. The Gods did not want to give the power of the heavens to children." Just as he says this, the two children from before run past us, laughing and smiling, without a care in the world. He sighs next to me, almost nostalgically, "Prince Garcia, Heir Apparent to the throne of Haidia Village was the first to show his powers. We were always best friends because he was one of the few children I was allowed to spend time with because of my high status. I looked up to Garcia, really, because to me, he always seemed much more mature than the others and I respected that in him. I never even thought that he would turn around and think the same for me.

"It was five years ago, on a stormy night. Prince Jasmine, Garcia's younger sister, had gotten into a fight with her parents and snuck out of the castle with another friend of mine. They made it as far as the outer limits of the town before bandits attacked them. They knocked my friend out and were about to attack the princess when Prince Garcia and I ran towards them to help. That is when it happened, a power that he had never shown before suddenly appeared and he fought off the bandits by himself. The power was part of Venus and I knew immediately that Prince Garcia was the Heir to the throne of Venus."

"So you told the king?" I hear myself interrupting his story and I blush, turning away from him as he looks down at me.

"Yes, there was nothing else I could do. My job is to find the Heirs and make sure that they remain safe. It was also then that my duties as the Guardian of the Heirs came into full effect." He rests his hands on the edge of the well and leans back, looking up at the sky, "The next Heir that awakened before me was the Heir to the throne of Mercury, a Mercury Energist living in the ancient city of Lemuria."

"Lemuria?" I had heard tales of an ancient, advanced city in the middle of the ocean but it was impossible to reach the city because it was surrounded by a cloud of strange mist. I had always thought it was nothing more than a silly legend. I suppose that I was wrong about that as well. After all of this, I should know that anything is possible.

"Yes, Lemuria. It is amazing to anyone that does not live in the city, but to the people of Lemuria…it is a fading image of what it once was." His eyes soften and he returns his gaze to the ground, his eyes darkening with intense emotion. It washes over me like a tidal wave and I have trouble fighting back the tears that are now welling up in my eyes. I quickly press the palm of my hands into my eyes, wiping away the tears before they can leave my eyes. "I went there with Prince Garcia a year after his powers awakened. The King of Lemuria asked us there to meet with his son, Prince Picard, one of the youngest Lemurians there at the time. To them, he was still a child, even his body looked quite young but in reality he was already over fifty years old.

"We had stayed there for a little over a month before Prince Garcia began to act suspicious, snaking out at odd hours of the night and then not returning until morning. Finally, my curiosity had gotten the better of me and I followed him until he led me to the Library in the palace. The collection of tomes and scrolls in the Lemurians' library is nothing to scoff at, even someone who had never picked up a scroll in their life would have been impressed, to say the least." He trails off for but a moment before picking up where he left off, "I catch Prince Garcia standing near the fireplace at the back of the library and at first I thought he was alone, until I saw Prince Picard sitting in a chair next to the fireplace.

"Out of the current Heirs, Prince Picard is the one that is the most knowledgeable about the Gods and the origin of the first Heirs." He pauses again and looks over at the stables. I turn to see Lord Hammet sliding the door open and stepping out into the sunlight. Robin pushes himself off the well and brushes the dust off his tunic and pants, "It looks as if we will have to continue this later. I think Prince Garcia would be better suited for explaining the rest to you anyway."

I try not to look too disappointed as I nod and stand up after him. Once Lord Hammet reaches us, he smiles and leans forward, ruffling my hair while looking at Robin. "I trust that you have been taking good care of little Ivan so far, eh, Sir Robin."

"I try my best, Sir." He says with a curt nod. Lord Hammet continues to laugh at this. "…Lord Hammet, you had something you wanted to discuss with Prince Ivan. It must be important, so I should leave."

"Nonsense, it has to deal with you as well, Sir Robin."

"With me, Lord Hammet?" Lord Hammet returns his hand to his side and leans forward, dropping his normally loud voice to a soft whisper, forcing both Robin and me to lean forward in order to hear him.

"Yes, your orders from the King were to meet with me here in Vault and take Ivan and myself to Haidia Village. Well, what you did not know was that I would not be accompanying you to Haidia Village." I barely manage to suppress the gasp that pushes past my lips at this news.

"Lord Hammet! I thought that" He waves his hand, cutting me off.

"Both the King and I thought that it would be safest for us to go our separate ways. I still have business to take care of in Vault and it is imperative that you and Sir Robin leave for Haidia Village as soon as possible. The sooner the better, there is no time to waste sitting around and waiting."

"So His Majesty wants me to take Prince Ivan to Haidia Village…by myself?"

Lord Hammet nods, "Yes, this way the group that you travel in will be much smaller and assassins will have more difficulty spotting you. I understand that the path to Haidia Village is mostly out in an open field but you should not have too much trouble traveling with only Ivan."

"I suppose not. This way it would be easier for me to protect him if someone were to attack us." I look away from Robin to Lord Hammet, very aware of the frightful look in my eyes. This would be the first time I was ever away from the castle, without Lord Hammet. He may not be related to me, but in a strange way, he has become a sort of father figure to me. He and Lady Layana were the ones who took me in and made sure that I was safe and protected and now…I have to leave both of them. I did not even get to say goodbye to Lady Layana.

"Do not look so frightened, Ivan. Sir Robin will be able to take care of you just fine, after all, his swordsmanship is legendary." I feel Robin's eyes on me and I look down at the ground, slightly embarrassed at this childish fear. This was what I wanted, wasn't it? An adventure all my own…so what am I so afraid of now?

"It is not that I doubt Robin's capabilities, Lord Hammet. It is just that…I am still a little unsure of what I can do to help Haidia Village with their problem. I mean, I am just one person and even my abilities as an Energist are not very impressive. They could have gotten anyone else, I am sure that there is someone out there with better skills than myself."

Lord Hammet looks up at Robin and he turns his head to the side, a closed look appearing in his eyes. "You will have to discuss that with His Majesty. I am not at liberty to speak about that with you, Prince Ivan. I am sorry…" I shake my head, even though I know he could not see the action, a bitter smile slipping onto my lips.

"I understand, there are some things that you cannot tell me. It isn't your fault so there is nothing to apologize for." I lift my head and look at Lord Hammet, with what I hoped was a determined look in my eyes, "Then what is our next move, Lord Hammet?"

He smiles at us, grinning from ear to ear before clapping his hands together, "That's the spirit, Ivan! I knew you had the heart of a traveler in you! Now, the horses that led the caravan still need to rest after the long journey, so we will stay here for four more days before heading back to Karei Town. In that time, we will trade with the villagers of Vault." He nods to Robin, "That is when the two of you make your move. You should leave at nighttime so that no one sees you."

"But that would make people suspicious when both Prince Ivan and I disappear suddenly, without any explanation." Interrupts Robin, "It would make more sense to leave in the morning, even if there were assassins in Vault, I could take care of them once we were out of town. I know it would be risky but that would be our best bet, besides, I doubt that there are any assassins in town."

"You never know, it is always best to be safe." He waits for a moment to make sure that Robin does not interrupt him a second time, "Once you leave, the mayor will answer any questions that people have about the either of your whereabouts. However, I doubt that too many villagers will be worried about their of you.

"It should only take you around two days to reach Haidia Village once you leave, as long as you do not run into any trouble or take any unnecessary stops along the way."

"Should we leave tonight?" I ask after Lord Hammet pauses again.

"The sooner the better." Robin turns to me, nodding.

"Are you ready to leave tonight?"

"I do not have a lot of things, so yeah, I can leave tonight."

"Splendid, it's settled then. The two of you will leave tonight as soon as all the lamps in the houses have been doused. There is a full moon tonight so that will guide you on your trip. Until then, I suggest that both of you get rest and plenty of it. You need to cover a lot of ground tonight."

Without another word, he nods to us and turns back around, walking towards the stables. "It seems that our plans have been decided for us." I turn to look at Robin but his face is a mask of indifference. "What do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

At first I am taken aback by the abruptness of his question but then my logical side begins to take over, "But Lord Hammet said that we should rest until we have to leave."

He smiles, shaking his head, "Yeah, but can you rest when you're about to take a two-day trip to a new town?" I shake my head in honesty and his smile brightens up his eyes. "I didn't think so. Come with me, I have something to show you."

Probably without thinking, he gently takes me by my wrist and leads me to the other side of town and up a flight of stone steps built into the large hill they lead up to. We walk around the hill until we reach the graveyard, a small circular platform with the tombstones following a similar pattern. He releases my hand, walks to the center of the circle, and holds out his right hand. A second later, the ground begins to quake and I nearly lose my balance as a thick pillar of rock rises out of the ground. "Ah! This is!" The pillar disappears and Robin lips his hand up to his forehead, wiping off the sweat that had collected there. "You did that, didn't you?"

"Yes, that is part of my power."

"That was incredible." I whisper breathlessly. His cheeks flush at the compliment but he takes my hand again and pulls me forward as he drops into a hole that had appeared in the ground. "Whoa!" We drop through the hole and land on the ground with a thud, Robin catching me in his arms and then setting me carefully on the ground.

The area we landed in both surprises and startles me. It is dark in the small cavern and there is the sound of droplets of water from somewhere further in the cave. Instinctively I cling to the nearest thing to me and that happens to be Robin's arm. Hiding my embarrassment, I hold onto his arm and bury my face in his tunic, hoping he would not mind.

"Your Highness?" He whispers, almost sounding as if he were afraid to speak up in the silence around us. I open my mouth to say something but in my sudden panic as I hear something scurry past us, I lose my voice and my only response is giving his arm a squeeze. "We could leave…if you wish…" I quickly shake my head.

"N-no…I wanna see what you wanted to show me…" He whispers, moving closer to the left until I hear the sound of his glove brushing against the wall, feeling around for something in the darkness. We spend a few minutes walking around in the semidarkness until he pauses and turns slightly, looking back in the direction we had come in. "Maybe I missed it…but I could have sworn it was around here somewhere and I am the only one who knows about this place…"

"What are you looking for?"

"A torch. I normally do not use it but I do not want you to get hurt, this place can be dangerous when it is lit up but in this darkness…" He shakes his head, "I thought that I had seen a torch here the last time I was in Vault but it seems to have disappeared. Maybe we should turn back." I squeeze his arm again.

"No! Please, we can still go on. I'll be careful, I promise."

"That is not the problem, Iv" He covers his mouth, "Your Highness! I beg your forgiveness." I frown.

"It's all right…" Silence passes over us again and he leans back away from me, resting his back against the wall, but I keep my tight grip on his arm, making him pull me along with him.

Finally, he lets out a sigh and shifts, pushing against the cavern wall and standing straight again, "You are going to have to stick close to me." I smile and laugh softly.

"I do not think I can get any closer to you than this, Robin." I can see his cheeks color in the darkness but he tries to hide it by pulling me along behind him.

After taking a couple of sharp turns here and heading through a gate and up a small flight of stairs, we finally reach a circular room, it has a long ladder in the middle of the room and a narrow beam of sunlight shooting into the cavern from a hole at the top of the ladder.

He gestures to the ladder, "After you." I nod to him and take a step forward, getting a grip on the ladder and pulling myself up before I can find a place to put my foot. He climbs onto the ladder behind him once I am halfway up and can just make out a cloud formation in the sky above me.

I finally reach the hole and pull myself out of it, kneeling on the ground and turning to wait for Robin to pull himself out as well. I do not have to wait long, his head appears out of the hole a minute later and he looks around, smiling to himself. "It does not look as if anyone else knows about this place yet." That is when I lift my head away from the hole and look around the area we had climbed into. I let out a soft gasp when I realize the familiarity of the area. It is a small forest clearing, the trees circling around the grounds just right so that the sunlight from above forms a perfect circle. However, I cannot grasp why this place looks so familiar. Have I somehow been here before? Or did I see a drawing of it from Lord Hammet?

"What do you think?" He asks, sitting near a tree and leaning back against it, folding his hands behind his head to protect the back of his head from the back of the tree. I turn back to him and smile, taking a seat next to him and leaning against the same tree.

"This place is beautiful, how on earth did you find it?" He smirks and winks at me.

"That is my little secret." Something about the way he said that made me think that he wanted me to persist. I shift slightly so that I can see him properly and I sit on my feet, the added height bringing me level with his eyes now that he is slouching against the tree.

"Aw, come on, Robin! You can tell me, it's not like I'm going to tell anyone."

"I don't know…" He said with a laugh, "This place is pretty important to me." I look around the area and smile, letting out a gentle sigh. This place does look like it has some special importance. Even though you cannot see it, this place makes you feel as if a powerful force is protecting you. "And it's sort of embarrassing how I found it."

"Oh, something embarrassing? Then you have to tell me." He sits up with a jerk, his hands flying out from behind his head and to the ground. He straightens up again so that I have to look up at him.

"No way! You'd laugh at me." My smile widens as he says this. Something about someone like him worrying about me laughing at him makes my heart feel lighter.

"I would never laugh at you, Robin. Besides, this is the White Knight we're talking about, how bad could it be?" His eyes darken and he turns his head to the side, and when I lean around his shoulder to look at him, he turns his head again. "Robin?"

"I wish that you would not judge me because of the status, to expect so much of me because of the stories that you have heard about me…the legends. Most of what you heard were just accidents and I had help, lots of it. I was needed when I did not have the strength to help people on my own, so I had to rely on others with power." He shakes his head, turning back to look at me, "I bet you are surprised to hear that."

I feel my shoulders relax and I sigh as I lean forward, bringing our faces closer together. I think I expected him to move back because I am surprised when he stays still and I can feel the warmth of his breath on my face. "Honestly, I would be surprised if you told me that you had done all of that yourself. There is only so much a person can do alone; we like to draw our strength from others, and we become stronger when we have a reason to fight…someone that we want to protect more than anything else does in the world. That is what helps us accomplish the impossible, regardless of our own strength." I smile, shaking my bangs out of my eyes, "Besides, hearing this makes you more real."

It is his turn to be surprised. He blinks at him as I lean back, giving him space. "More real? What do you mean by that?" I lay down on the grass, resting my head on my arm and draping my other arm over my stomach as I look up at the sky.

"When I was growing up in Hammet Palace, Lady Layana would always tell me stories to help me go to bed. Most of them were about you and all of the feats that you had accomplished, even as a young boy still training. Everything she told me about you…it all seemed so wonderful and you became my hero." I smile at the blush of embarrassment that has colored his cheeks at the compliment. "Even when I was older and merely thought that all the legends Lady Layana had told me about you were just that, legends and nothing more, I still held the ideal of you in the highest respect. I would never have dreamed that I would be talking to you…sitting this close to you…"

"Your Highness…"

"Do you have to call me that?" He sighs and I close my eyes, "I know, I know. We have been through this before." He leans back against the tree, slipping down the side of the trunk until half of his back in on the grass and the other is resting on the tree. "Hey, Robin?"

"Yes?" I cannot help but smirk up at the could formations rolling by.

"So, tell me, how did you happen upon this place?"

"I told you, it's embarrassing." I smile, sitting up to look at him. He has his eyes shut, mouth slightly parted almost as if he was sleeping. A gentle gust of wind blows his hair to the side, his bangs ticking his lips.

"Let me guess then. You can tell me if I am close to the truth or not."

"Okay, but I reserve the right not to answer."

"Of course, but that'll just mean that I guessed right." He lets out an unenthusiastic groan and I laugh. I quickly debate whether or not using my Psynergy to pry into his mind for the information would be fair. What if it scares him though…? I do not want him to not trust me. Okay, old fashioned way it is then.

"Hmm…let's see. You're obviously embarrassed by whatever it is and you think I will laugh so it has to be something big to bother you." I tilt my head to the side, observing him very carefully. "Fall through a hole?" His hands twitch and I smile, giggling. "So that's it."

He opens his eyes and slowly lifts himself off the ground and to his knees. He crawls towards me and I instinctively lower to the ground as he leans in, looking down at me and blocking my view of the sky. "I told you that you would laugh."

"I wasn't laughing at you." I say, waving my hands at him, "I was just laughing because it could happen to anyone. It most likely would have happened to me as well. How did it happen anyway?" He pulls away and sits down again, folding his arms across his chest.

"I was thirteen and I came here with Prince Garcia when we were asked by King Hydrosking of Lemuriato go to Lemuria from the boat docked in the Raripero Town docks. I went out at night because I could not sleep due to someone's loud snoring in the other room. I walked all the way to the cemetery and leaned forward to read some of the inscriptions on the grave markers when I felt the ground begin to shake." He pauses for a moment and then continues, "My first instinct was to run, so I did but I only made it to the middle of the cemetery before the earth opened up and I fell through into that cavern."

"I would have been so frightened…" I whisper honestly, "It must have been very dark in there back then."

"It should have but there was this…golden light surrounding me, I thought I was dead for a long time, until I stubbed my toe on a rock and tripped." He laughs to himself; "I can be a klutz when I panic…which is why I try not to panic so much."

"I'd suppose not…"

"Anyway, I could not get back to the surface from the way I had come because there was no ladder there at the time, so I decided to walk through the cavern until I found a different exit." He looks around the clearing, "And that is how I found this place." I lift myself up onto my elbows and look at him. He points over to the right side of the clearing and I follow his finger. "Through there, you can get to a small ledge that will bring you back to the town, if you jump."

"Jump?" I ask, hating the fact that my voice cracked when I said that. He nods.

"It isn't too hard to do and it's a quicker way back into town." He shrugs his shoulders and lies back on the ground, closing his eyes. "But we can just stay here for now, we are in no hurry. We have plenty of time before we have to leave. The sun should not go down for a couple of hours and the lamps only go out once the moon comes up."

I roll over onto my stomach, folding my arms across the ground and resting my chin on my wrists. "I wonder what Lady Layana is doing right now…I wonder if she knew about Lord Hammet's plans for taking me to Vault when he did."

"Most likely. The King sent a messenger to Karei Town to deliver the message that he wanted you to come to Haidia Village. When he came back, he said that he had spoken with both Lord Hammet and Lady Layana." I nod slowly.

"I see…so they were both in on it." I close my eyes and let the side of my head rest on my arm. With the calming sound of the wind rustling through the trees, combined with the sound of Robin's shallow breathing, I soon fall asleep without even wanting to do so.

_I find myself in a dark, circular stone room with only one beam of narrow light leading from a broken patch in the roof above me. It is cold in here and I shiver involuntarily as my body tries to warm up with the action._

_I take a step forward, walking into the light. The sound of heels clicking on the stone floor reaches my ears and I spin around to see a shadowy figure walking towards me, keeping a slow pace and humming a strange tune deep in his throat._

_He stops just outside of the light but his features are still bathed in the shadows and I cannot make out what he looks like, only a faint outline of his body. "Hello, Prince Ivan, so nice to finally meet you."_

_"Who are you?"_

_"A friend."_

_"I don't know you…how can you be a friend of mine?" He smiles, the white of his teeth showing up despite the shadows._

_"You may not know me but I know you quite well, little Ivan." He raises his hand, I can hear water rushing from all around us, and in a brief moment, I tear my eyes away from his form and break away from the sunlight, diving into the shadows. A second later, the place I had been standing in breaks away as a powerful jet of water shoots out from the ground. "Well, well, well. I must say that I am very impressed with your skills, young Ivan. He would be proud to hear that you could at least protect yourself in a dream, but how well will you do when I meet you outside of your dreams?"_

_He lifts his left hand into the air and points a slender finger at my cheek, "Consider this a parting gift for the both of you. Give my regards to the White Knight." Before I have the chance to do anything, a bright blue light appears from the tip of his finger, illuminating his hand. Then, without warning, a thin stream of water zips from the light and slices across my left cheeks, sending me flying backward into the wall, my head cracking on solid stone. "You are a strong boy, I hope that you are strong enough to see this though. Sir Robin would not be happy if you were to die on him."_

_The room…it is beginning to blur and everything around me looks fuzzy. There is a throbbing pain on the back of my head and a stinging on my cheek. I try to reach up to massage the back of my head but I cannot move my arms, or even my legs for that matter. The man begins to walk towards me but everything is growing darker, darker than before, almost as if something were covering up the hole where the sunlight was getting in to brighten up the room even slightly. "I do not expect she would like it either. I suppose from now on, I will have to be responsible for your wellbeing, if your guardian cannot even protect you in a dream."_

_"Do not be so sure of that!" A familiar voice. Robin's voice! I try to lift my head to look for him but I cannot move even an inch. My eyelids are beginning to feel heavy as well and it takes too much energy to keep my eyes open._

_"Well, Robin, so good of you to join us. Did you sense that the child was in trouble?" I hear the man's feet shuffle on the ground as he turns around to face Robin. The sound of a sword leaving its sheath alerts me that someone has drawn a sword. "You do not want to fight me now, Robin? Not here…in front of the boy."_

_"Leave his mind now!"_

_"You know, if you had shown this much dedication to the Princess' care, maybe she would not have been kidnapped." Robin growls, taking a step towards the man._

_"I made the mistake of not protecting her, but I will not fail in protecting Prince Ivan! I will kill anyone who dares to harm him." The man laughs, a chilling sound even in my dazed state. I shiver again. The room seems to be growing colder by the second._

_"Such passion in your words, Robin. You have never spoken like that about anyone before. Either you really hate me or you care strongly for Prince Ivan. However, you know, that would never be allowed. He is a prince and even with your title of 'White Knight', it would not be high enough for you to express your feelings for him."_

_"My feelings for the Prince are merely that of a guardian."_

_"Keep telling yourself that, Robin, maybe you might even begin to believe it but you will never fool those around you, especially not me. I suggest that you wake him up and tend to that wound of his or you will have to bury a prince."_

_I can see a bright light, swirling colors and my stomach lunges when the ground shakes and the colors disappear, scattering across the room. A sword is tossed to the floor and someone rushes up to me, kneeling before me. I feel two warm hands on my cheeks, the left hand mindful of my wounded cheek. The owner of those warm hand lifts my face and I smile stupidly up into worried, pale blue eyes. Robin's pale blue eyes._

_"Prince Ivan, are you all right? Nod if you're all right." I nod weakly and he smiles, but it is weak, and the worry in his eyes is still apparent. I wonder what is going on…to make him worry so much…"You have to wake up, Your Highness. I cannot wake you up outside of this world because of your injuries here. You would not wake up before because his powers are too strong, stronger than even mine…so I had to come into your dream to make him go away. I was too late, it seems." He shakes his head and a desperate look appears in his eyes, or at least that is what it looks like to me. Now three Robins are dancing before my eyes, melding and then splitting apart again. "Please, you have to be strong and wake up so that I can help you."_

_"How do I do that…?" I slurred, leaning forward into his hands and closing my eyes so that everything would stop spinning._

_"Just try, you can do it, I have faith in you." I hate letting people down, this time is no different and the pain in his voice makes it worse, makes me want to try even harder than I normally would have. By now, I would have given into this sensation of sleepiness, but I have not yet…_

_I relax my shoulders and concentrate on my breathing and my heartbeat. The sound pounding in my ears is joined by a second heartbeat, much more steadier than my own, slower and stronger. Robin's heartbeat…I latch onto that sound and commit it to memory._

_It feels like I am floating now but the warmth on my cheeks, surrounding my entire body does not leave me and I can still hear that second heartbeat while my own is pounding faster, maybe in panic. I cannot understand why. I feel perfectly calm._

Then a warm, fading light cuts into the darkness and I blink my eyes open carefully, putting my arm on my forehead to shield the crimson light. "Prince Ivan!" I sit up slowly and see Robin sitting next to me in a chair…we are back at the Mayor's house, in my room. I turn and see that the door is open and that the crimson light was from a window in his own room.

"What happened?" I ask, resting my forehead in my hand. "We were out in that clearing, talking…and then we're suddenly here?" He leans forward expectantly.

"You don't remember anything that happened after we were talking?" I think about it carefully but each time I try to, the back of my head begins to throb and I have to stop. I shake my head slowly.

"No…the last thing I remember is talking about Lord Hammet and Lady Layana and then…nothing. Did something bad happen?" He shook his head.

"You just…slipped and bumped your head. We were heading back to town and you miscalculated when you tried to jump over the ledge and you fell down." He reaches over and touches the side of my cheek and I flinch as it begins to sting painfully. "That is how you got that little scratch there. I carried you back to town so that I could heal you. You should be fine with some rest."

I groan and lay back down on the bed, "Robin, I am tired of resting. I am ready to go to Haidia Village with you." He smiles, laying his hand down gingerly on my forehead.

"I know, but even Lord Hammet agrees that you should rest."

"It was just a little bump on the head." I protest, enjoying the feel of his cool skin on my heated face. "You said so yourself, so I can leave by nightfall. Anyway, you already healed me so I should be just fine."

"My healing skills are not the best in the world." He sighs, and I knew he could tell that he was now fighting a losing battle. "Your wound could reopen."

"It's just a little cut."

"It could get worse."

"And we could be wasting our time here, arguing, while your king is wondering where we are. Assassins could be on their way here as we speak and the more time we spend here, the more dangerous it could become. I am sure that word has gotten out that I have left Karei Town. It is only a matter of time before they figure out where I have gone and come to kill me. Do you want that, Robin?" He bites his lower lip at this and I smile, knowing that I had won him over.

"Very well, you would be safest in Haidia Village." He stands up, pulling his hand away from my face and I almost whimper at the loss of his touch. "However, if you get tired along the way, I am going to carry you."

"Wha-what?" I gasp, blushing. He folds his arms across his chest, giving me a severe look.

"We have a lot of ground to cover and out of the two of us, I have the most energy so I can walk the farthest and I want to try to get at least halfway to Haidia Village." I look around the room hurriedly, not knowing if I was going to find some answer to my plight there but hoping, praying that there would be something. How strange would it be to have Robin carry me…I mean with me conscious and all.

"B-but do you have to carry me?"

"It is the only way." I reluctantly nod to him and he turns away. "I will pack my things while you rest. Lord Hammet already prepared all of your things so you are ready to leave."

"Lord Hammet did…?" He shrugs his shoulders, bows to me and walks out of the room, pausing and leaning back in to look at me.

"If you need anything, just call for me." He moves to leave again.

"Wait, Robin…" He stumbles slightly and turns around, resting his hand against the door.

"Yes?"

"I didn't…get the chance to thank you for carrying me back here and healing me." He smiles warmly at me and I feel my heart melt at that look. "Thank you so much, for everything that you have done for me. This is all because of you…that I was able to learn the truth."

"It is not over yet, I suspect that there is still a lot more for you to learn, things that even I do not know." I shake my head.

"But still, it is very kind of you to be here for me."

"I will continue to be there for you as long as you will allow. I would like to help you find out what you want to know, about everything. You are going to do great things, Prince Ivan, I can tell that just by looking at you." He rises slowly after this, "I will be back as soon as I finish." I nod and he walks out of my room again, leaving the door open.

I lie back against my pillows and stare up at the ceiling. Something tells me he is keeping something from me but what could it be?

Hour after uneventful hour later, Robin and I are standing at the town gates with the Mayor and his wife standing in front of us, unlocking the town gates which are closed at night. Lord Hammet and Ekarl are standing behind us, whispering to each other quietly. Then the gate creaks open, forcing Lord Hammet and Ekarl to break out of their conversation and turn their attention to us.

"Take good care of Ivan for us, Sir Robin." Says the Mayor's wife, patting my shoulder, "He's such a cute, polite little kid, and I would be devastated if anything bad happened to him." The Mayor shakes his head, laughing at his wife.

"I think that we do not have anything to worry about with Sir Robin on the job, he will take good care of Ivan." Robin nodded and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. I am glad for the pale white light above, it discolored our skin so no one could tell that I was blushing.

"I will take care of him." Lord Hammet stepped forward, hanging a strange package wrapped in cloth to Robin. He took it carefully in his free hand. "What is this?"

"A little surprise for you to be opened up at a certain time."

"A certain time…?" I ask, leaning over and trying to touch the package with my hand but Robin lifts it into the air, keeping it out of my reach.

"No, Ivan, that is for Robin." I blink at Lord Hammet, still confused about what might be in the package. If only my powers could help me. Maybe I could read Lord Hammet's mind. I mentally slap myself for even thinking that. That would be abusing my powers, not to mention putting my mind through even more pain. The memory loss that I seem to be suffering was putting my mind through its paces.

Robin slips the package into his pouch on his belt, "Thank you, Lord Hammet, for…whatever it is." Lord Hammet smiles up at Robin and I begin to grow wary. I know that smile…he always wears that smile whenever he is planning something devious.

"I am sure that you will find that it comes in handy, Sir Robin." Ekarl steps forward now, ruffling my hair.

"I am going to miss you, kid. You were like the little brother I never had."

"What are you talking about, Ekarl? You have six younger brothers and three younger sisters." Ekarl laughs at this.

"You're right! You're the seventh younger brother that I never had."

"Well, the two of you should be going. If we get the chance, we will come visit you in Haidia Village." Lord Hammet says as he shakes Robin's hand. He turns to me, "You have grown up to be a fine younger man, Ivan. I hope that this experience does not change that."

"I am only going to Haidia Village," I say with a smile, "I doubt that a two-day walk to a village in the north is going to change me." He smiles solemnly, nodding.

"No…I suppose not."

He knows something…something that he is not willing to tell me. I should be used to it by now, but even so, I would like to be trusted by the people around me, especially by one of the people who raised me. He turns to Robin again.

"I am holding you to your word that you will protect Ivan. He is like a son to me and if anything ever happened to him, I would never forgive you." Robin narrows his eyes but says nothing, merely nodding curtly and turning on his heel, walking towards the gate, still keeping his grip firmly on my shoulder, dragging me along with him.

"Goodbye!" I call back to them. The gate creaks shut but they remain there, watching us until we disappear as we round a bend in the room, a think forest cutting our view from the town. I look up at Robin and his eyebrows are furrowed and he has a burning look in his eyes. "Is something the matter?"

He pauses for a moment, losing that look in his eyes and turning to look at me, "I just do not like being threatened…or having my abilities questioned."

"I am sorry. I do not doubt you, Robin, I believe in you." A smile passes over his lips at this.

"Thank you, Prince Ivan. That does mean a lot to me." I shake my head.

"I am merely speaking the truth to you, Robin. I trust you with my life completely. I know that you would never purposely hurt me." He gives me a questioning look and I pick up on his thoughts almost automatically, "Because you are my hero."

"You don't have to say that…" I look up and see him blushing, his cheeks turning a different color from the rest of his face in the silver light. He looks…almost magical in the silver moonlight, his white clothes reflecting the light and making it bounce off onto his face. His hair is even glowing.

"But I do, because it's true."

The rest of the journey that night was spent mostly in silence but sometimes I would start up a random conversation or he would and that would carry us on for a couple of hours. I found myself telling him about some of my most embarrassing moment, like the time I snuck into the kitchens to make a birthday breakfast for Lady Layana and ended up nearly burning the kitchens, or the time I slipped and fell into the fountain when I was trying to walk across the little bench. He was kind enough about it, laughing softly and telling me that it was all right. He even had some embarrassing moments of his own, some which did not involve falling down a hole.

The moon begins to slip behind the mountains in the distance but the pale light from the sun is already turning the sky a pale blue color. My eyelids begin to droop and I find myself stumbling into Robin ever so often, apologizing only to do it again a minute later.

"Maybe we should rest." He says, holding me by my shoulders and turning to cover a yawn with his arm, "I am getting tired as well."

"But the sun is almost up, would it be safe to sleep out in the open like this?" I ask as he turns and walks off the path. I hurry after him as he begins to disappear into the woods.

"It is better than going to sleep during the night, that is when the bandits come. Anyway, we are not going to sleep out in the open, just in case assassins take the road. I would rather take our chances with the monsters out here rather than the assassins. I do not feel like killing another human being." He sits down near a tree, laying his pack on the ground.

"And animals are different?" I ask, kneeling next to him and setting my pack down as well. He looks at me, a surprised look in his eyes before he smiles sweetly.

"I had a feeling that you would say something like that. I will take the first watch, you should rest. Don't unroll your sleeping bag just in case we have to run." I go to protest but a yawn stops me in mid-sentence and I am forced to give up, lying back on the ground, using my arm as a pillow.

"…Robin, can I ask you something?"

"You just did." I can hear the smile in his voice and I shake my head, "Go right ahead, but remember, I cannot guarantee that I will answer your question." I nod, shutting my eyes against the moonlight that shines even through the thick branches of the trees overhead.

"I was just wondering if…" I do not know how to put this. It seems too personal to ask something like this of him and yet, I cannot help but ask. He has been so kind to me and we just met the other day, I feel as if I can trust him with anything. Still, wouldn't it be rude of me to ask him this?

"…'Wondering if…' what?" I turn the question around, twisting it different ways to see if it sounded less…intruding. No matter what I did to it, it always came out the same way.

I fiddle with a blade of grass, twirling it in-between my thumb and index finger, just to give my hand something to do, or maybe take my mind off how embarrassing this must seem. It may not even be that embarrassing, but I have never really been around other people, aside from the people at Hammet Palace. I just do not want to lose a possible friendship with Robin. "I was wondering if…you ever regretted becoming the Guardian of the Heirs, it is a lot of responsibility for just one person to handle, not that I am doubting your abilities, of course." I add hurriedly, worried that he may take it the wrong way.

There is a long pause from him and I am about to turn to apologize some more, thinking that I had offended him but he places a hand on my arm and I remain lying on the ground with the side of my face resting on my arm. "Ivan, tell me, what do you feel from me now?" I open my mouth to say something but he continues, stopping me before I can even take a breath. "Not physically, not me touching your arm right now. I want you to tell me what my emotions are at this moment."

"…Your emotions?" I am suddenly very glad that my back is turned to him because my face grows very hot at that moment. He gives my arm a reassuring squeeze, "But…"

"I am letting my mental shields down for you, you can read my emotionseven my thoughtsvery easily now." Both his emotions and his thoughts…something that you should never do for someone that you have just met. The information in your mind could be used against you, to find your strengths and weaknesses. Your emotions as well…they can be a dangerous thing in the hands of the wrong person. To trust me with this…just to help me understand…

I move to sit up but his other hand is on my back now, keeping me down. "I want you to stay there. Just close your eyes and concentrate. Have you ever done this before?"

"Not purposely…not on another Energist, either. Most of the time it was on Lord Hammet or Lady Layana and only when I was either very scared or angry."

"Defensive reaction then, but you need to learn how to use your empathic and telepathic powers as well, it will help you find out who you can and cannot trust. Energists stronger than you will have shields that overpower your powers of telepathy but if their emotions are strong enough, you will be able to notice those fairly easily, so you should not have to worry about that." He explains, still keeping his right hand on my arm and his other on my back, his grip gentle but not too loose so that I can still feel him but it is not painful. "Energists weaker than you will not be able to shield their thoughts or emotions from you, and sometimes you will be able to pick their thoughts up as you near them, the stronger you are, the easier it will become. This is why you also much learn how to shield yourself from others' thoughts and emotions, so that you are not overwhelmed."

"How do you know all this?" I ask, not able to keep the sound of awe out of my voice. He laughs gently.

"An Air Energist told me that this information would come in handy one day, I did not understand what she meant by that then, but I suppose she was implying that I would meet you and you would have to learn a little of this from me."

"Another Air Energist, just like me?" I turn in his slack grip and open my eyes to look up at him. The moonlight has created a silver halo around his head and I blush almost instantly, immediately regretting moving. He just smiles and nods.

"I met her on one of my travels, during the years that I had to train on my own. I went all over Weyard to learn from different Energists and even non-Energists, you would be surprised how much they can help us with our powers as well. However, as Energists, we have been chosen to guard Weyard, to make sure that the power known as Alchemy does not fall into the wrong hands. This also means that we cannot allow the wrong people to learn about Energists and our powers."

"So we have to keep Psynergy a secret…"

"Yes, it is our duty." He shakes his head, "One day, I'll take you to see this Air Energist and you can ask her all the questions about Air Energists that I cannot answer for you, but for now, I am the only teacher you have."

"There aren't any Air Energists in Haidia Village?"

"Sadly, no. Aside from yourself, Master Hama is the only other Air Energist that I have yet to meet." He then adds, "It has been a while since I traveled and I am sure that many of the Air Energists themselves travel around Weyard themselves to gain more knowledge." He was trying to reassure me, trying to give me just a little bit of hope. I understand that much and I am very grateful.

"Thank you for saying all that to me, Robin, but if it is too much trouble, you really do not have to…"

"What are you talking about, trouble? It is no trouble at all. Besides, I am sure that it is true. There was even one place that confused me…" I look up at him again and he frowns, eyes growing darker as he looks away, "It was near Airs Rock, a place with great Air Psynergy, I could not even walk through Airs Rock without being turned away by a giant cyclone."

"Sounds dangerous…" That is what I say, but in truth, I think it sounds exciting. Airs Rock…I wonder if I will ever be able to visit such a place. I am sure that I could learn a lot about Air Energists if I were ever able to go there but I do not know if I could do it on my own.

"It wasn't that bad, actually. I was knocked out for a couple of days but when I came to, I was lying in front of a town that was near Airs Rock…the only problem was that there was no one around."

"A deserted town…?"

"I am not so sure about that…it was nighttime when I woke up and there were torches lit in front of the buildings, even though the candles and lamps were not being burned in the houses, so it was pitch dark inside. I could sense something too, but I did not know what it was then, but something was telling me that I should leave as soon as possible, almost as if an outside force was pushing me away from the village." He fingers my hair gingerly and I suddenly realize that he has removed his gloves. I feel myself relaxing as soon as his fingers slide through my hair. No one has ever touched me like this…it feels wonderful.

"Now tell me," He whispers, breaking the silence but not ruining the calm, his strong, gentle voice merely adds to it, "What am I feeling now?"

I shut my eyes and try to concentrate on his emotions, the feel of his hand brushing my hair, his hand on my arm…the sound of his breathing, and even his heartbeat, which seems so near to my ear now, when it fact it is far above my range of hearing. "Calm…" I whisper, almost without meaning to do so, "Determination…" I continue, trailing off when I try to grasp the last emotion. I do…latching onto it like it is the most important thing in the world. "And…" I do not understand.

"And…?" He asks, not ceasing in his caresses.

I shake my head after trying to figure out what the last emotions is. It is strong, whatever it is, and very new to me. I have never felt something like that before, but it was more…distant than the others, almost as if Robin himself did not even know it was there. Or could it be that he does know and that he is merely trying to keep it to himself. "I do not know." His movements pause, his fingertips resting lightly on my forehead.

"…I was hoping that you would." So it was the first one…he does not even know what it is. Relief washing over me but at the same time, I feel regret for not being able to help him with his problem.

"I am sorry…"

"Don't be, it doesn't bother me all that much. Besides, I probably should not have asked you to do something like that." I shake my head.

"No, it helped me. I have never done something like that on my own free will, it is usually just forced. And I normally do not like to read peoples minds because…it seems as if I am intruding on their personal thoughts and I have no right to do something like that…" That gentle caress is back as he moves his fingers through my hair again.

"That is a wise way to think of it, Prince Ivan." My title again…for a moment I had totally forgotten about me being a prince and him being the White Knight. For a moment, we were just…Ivan and Robin, two people sitting on the grass with a full moon about them as their only light. I could forget he ever reminded me…but that would not be fair to either of us. I am who I am and he is who he is, nothing in this world can ever change that.

"Most people would abuse that power if they had it, it can make you the strongest person in the world, to know what people are thinking, to know their emotions and their strengths and weaknesses. As long as you never let it go to your head, you will be the strongest person for not abusing your powers. Anyone can give into temptation, but it takes a very strong person to resist under the pressure of that."

"It helps that I feel as if my head is about to split open each time I try to read someone's mind."

"And just now…when you searched my emotions, how did you feel?" I blush at the question but smile softly.

"It was almost as if…I was sharing your emotions. It did not hurt at all…I felt…protected, I suppose that would be the best way to put it." He shares my smile, nodding.

"I am glad. I hope that that answers your question."

"My question…?" What had it been? We were talking for so long…

"Whether or not I regretted being the White Knight…" He shakes his head, "I never once regretted being the Guardian of the Heirs, and it means I can protect my friends, as well as gives me an excuse to travel, which I have learned has become on of my many passions. Meeting new people, seeing new places…some things never change and yet, others change all the time, which is what makes it all so exciting. I enjoy that most."

"It does sound like a lot of fun…I hope that I will get the chance to travel, even if it is only for a short time. I may be being a little ambitious…or a little crazy thinking that I can travel for very long. Physically, I am not very strong and if the assassins continue to come after me…" I sigh, letting the fingers of my left hand curl just in front of my heart. "I do not want to make Lady Layana and Lord Hammet worry about me…which is why…as soon as I am done in Haidia Village, I have to go back to Karei Town."

I look up at Robin to see his expression but his bangs are covering his eyes, masking his expression. Then he lifts his head slightly, but his eyes still do not show what he is thinking. "Is that what you really want, Prince Ivan? I was hoping…that you and I could go to Lama Temple to the east and visit with Master Hama."

"The Air Energist you spoke of…I would not want to endanger her…nor you. I have already inconvenienced you enough. Even Lord Hammet and Lady Layana…" I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly, "I am not sure what I should do. The assassins will not be put off forever and when that time comes, I do not want them to find me in Hammet Palace. The Lord and Lady may be hurt."

"No one can choose for you, Prince Ivan. It will be a decision you must make on your own, but until that time does come, I suggest that you do not think about it too much. Thinking about something of such great importance for so long will tire you out. Speaking of which…" He lifts his head away from me, looking up at the sky. I had not noticed that the moon was now disappearing in the distance and that the sky was beginning to change colors. "You should rest, I have kept you up far too long."

I know I should listen to him, so I shift and close my eyes, easily forgetting everything but his gentle touch as he starts to run his fingers along my hair again.

Instead of waking up to the bright, blinding sun or Robin's strong hand on my shoulder, shaking me out of my sleeping state, I wake to angry shouts, one familiar, and others…frightening.

"What do you want with the boy?" Robin's normally calm and collected voice was deeper, and it sounded as if he was struggling to keep his voice down. It was also difficult to hear so I suppose he had had teeth clenched. "He had done nothing to you, so I suggest that you leave him be, or you will heave to deal with me."

"We have no quarrel with you, White Knight Robin, our orders are to retrieve the boy and take him back to our Master." Said an unfamiliar, deep voice that was practically dripping with malice. I would have moved have moved but my body was frozen with a mixture of fear and something else…as if someone's hand was keeping me still.

"Is that so? Who is your _Master_? I would just love to meet him so I can give him a piece of my mind and maybe even run him through with my sword." Robin's voice comes out as a growl now, his restraints loosening, "I normally hate killing people, but for your master I will most definitely make an exception on behalf of Prince Ivan. He is a sweet kid, he deserves as much as a normal life as he can get and your bleeding master is taking that away from him. Things like that just really piss me off, and I assure you, I am not a pleasant person to be around when I am pissed off, and I assure you, I am not a pleasant person to be around when I am pissed off. So, if you do not want to die, tell me who your master is and I just may let you live with a couple of treatable scratches if I like your answer."

"So, the rumors we heard were true." A new voice, coming from somewhere nearby, but this time it sounded like a young woman's voice.

"Rumors…and what rumors would people be spreading about me now? Don't tell me people consider me the 'Angel of Death' now."

"That's just it, White Knight. The people who you have let live after killing…they have told stories of your ruthlessness in battle. You may be able to fool everyone, even that young boy with your kind-hearted act, but you will not fool me. I know all the bad things you have done and you cannot be forgiven by them."

"Is that so…? If you truly did know about all the bad things that I have done…you would not be standing before me now! You would not even be standing thirty feet from me! You would be cowering in fear before your master, begging not to go anywhere near me! You obviously do not comprehend what stands before you. The power I have was given to me by the Gods themselves and I intend to use that power on you if you dare to even utter Prince Ivan's name before me." His voice dips down again, a threatening whisper, "I suggest you leave your mission now and never return. Tell your master that I will come after him personally if he continues to send assassins after Prince Ivan."

"We cannot do that."

"Then I am afraid that I cannot allow you to lie." As I hear the sound of a sword being drawn, I feel the pressure leave me and I sit up, spinning around to see Robin standing before me with ten soldiers dressed in black garb surrounding us.

"So, the prince is awake." One of them says, smirking, "Good, we can kill the White Knight in front of him." Robin tenses up visibly, turns slightly to glance back at me over his shoulder.

"Prince Ivan…"

"What's going on…?" I whisper, even though I do know what is going on…there is nothing more I can say.

"These are…some of the assassins sent to kill you." I tear my eyes away from Robin and look around at the group again. Most of them have their swords already drawn but some of them are hanging back, waiting…calculating.

"What should we do…?" Robin lets out a bitter laugh.

"I was planning on killing them but I am not about to allow you to see blood before you are ready. Now…I suggest that we…" He throws his sword back into his scabbard at his side, and in one fluid movement, turns around and picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder, grabs our bags, "…Run like hell!" Before the assassins can say or do anything, he dashes into the thicket just behind us.

"A-after them!" I hear the first man talking to Robin yell and the group runs after us, but they disappear from sight as Robin turns and jumps out onto the path again, tearing down the dirt road.

"R-Robin! I am not so sure that this is a very good idea!" I gasp, clinging to the back of his shirt even though his right arm is holding onto my legs tightly.

"Would you rather me kill them in front of you?" He asks, stumbling slightly from the effort of talking and running at the same time. He regains his balance as he skids down a hill and the land levels out again, opening on a wide plane.

"I-I'm not saying that." I flinch when I bite down on my tongue. "Ouch…I bit my tongue." I hear Robin begin to laugh softly but he stops when he stubs his toe on a rock and nearly falls to the ground but he catches himself just in time to make sure that we do not tumble to the ground.

"Then stop talking, I need to concentrate."

"Let me help!" I gasp when I spot some of the assassins just reaching the hill. I rest my elbows on his shoulders and point my palms towards the three men standing on the hill, already running towards us. "Ray!" A blinding, pale blue light shoots out from my hands and flies straight for the men, knocking them down as soon as it hits them.

Robin pauses in his running, glancing back at him, "You didn't…"

"No, I just stunned them. When they come to in a couple of hours, they shouldn't be able to move for a day…and they'll feel like they were run over by a herd of horses for a week." I whisper, managing to keep the surprise out of my voice. He was worried about me killing them…the people who were ordered by some stranger to kill me. Was he trying to protect them or me? Something told me it was the latter, considering that Robin had fled to save me from watching him kill those assassins.

"As long as you did not kill them…" He stars to run again, not even making a move to set me down on the ground again. Probably the best, I am still a little dazed and the effort of summon a powerful Ray was enough to wipe me out but I still keep a tight grip on Robin's tunic to make sure that I do not slip from his shoulder. "I hope that they do not follow us to Haidia Village, or we'll have to fight them before the gatekeeper will open the gates."

"The gates are closed…? Even during the day?" Robin nods.

"Yes, the people of Haidia Village are very wary of strangers and they keep the gates locked to all those without Psynergy. Even those with Psynergy must prove that they are friendly and that can prove a chore when it comes down to our temperamental gatekeeper."

We travel along the vast plane without running into anymore of the assassins, so I turn to tell Robin we should stop when we are suddenly pitched forward as Robin trips, this time not managing to save us from the fall. He shifts in midair, pushing me so that I am on top of him so that he breaks our fall.

A second later, a loud splash echoes through the air as we fall into a large river.

Instinctively, I gasp and gather air into my lungs just before we went under the water, but the impact of falling through the water, knocked most of the air out of my lungs and only a little bit remained in my mouth so I struggle to return to the surface.

Before I could float back to the surface for air, I felt Robin grab me by my wrist and pull me back towards the bottom. Even at the friendly touch, I struggled against him, knowing that I would not be able to last much longer without air. He obviously knew this as well, even still…his actions startled me. He pulled me back down and in the foggy haze of the water, I see he has his eyes open as well. He pulls me towards him, grabs my chin with one hand and with his other, holds me still, slipping it around my waist, his arm resting on the small of my back.

I give his a panicked, confused expression but he merely shakes his head and leans closer, kicking his feet now and then to keep us under the surface of the water. Then his lips and on mine and I gasp, trying to pull away but I feel air entering my lungs. Robin is giving me air! My brain registers that quickly enough but still…

_Just relax._ Robin's voice whispers inside of my head. _They are right above us, looking around the river. If we come up for air now, we will have to fight them and you cannot manage another Psynergy attack. You have to conserve your energy and hiding is the only way we will be able to avoid a fight. I am sorry that I have to do this, Your Highness. Please think nothing more of it._

I blink my eyes oncemy only reply to his apologetic wordsbut my mind is reeling. I have never kissed anyone before and no one has ever kissed me before. I was always separated from other kids my age, both by my status and by my Psynergy. Now, Robin, the personthe young manI looked up to, is kissing me…that is how I see it. I cannot look at it any other way no matter how hard I try.

Finally, after what seems like forever, he pulls away and releases his hold on me, wrapping his hand around my wrist again and he swims up towards the surface, tugging me along behind him. He is the first to reach the surface, grasping for air. I begin to choke as soon as the air enters my lungs. "I do not think I enjoyed that much…" I groan, suddenly feeling very sick to my stomach. He turns to me, bowing his head since he could do no more while in the water.

"I am sorry for that…but it was the only way that I could make sure that you had enough air without making our presence known to the assassins. I wish that there had been another way to help you but there was not." I blink at him, taking careful breaths to make sure enough air entered my lungs. He thought I was talking about that…kiss.

"Oh…no, I didn't mean…" How should I say this? What was that kiss to me…? I know it was not a kiss to him so it should not mean anything to me…but…why am I so confused? This should be easy. "I…I understand why you did that and it does not bother me at all. In fact, I should be thanking you for saving my life, Robin. So, thank you." I flash him a warm smile and even though he hesitates at first, he returns it slowly.

"But still…if anyone hears of this, the King will have my head on a silver platter."

"Why?" I ask frightfully, my hands going to my neck automatically. I begin to sink into the water but Robin grabs my shoulder, keeping both of us afloat. For some reason, that statement made me think of the King of Haidia Village as someone who must be feared.

"Because, even if I am the White Knight and Guardian to the Heirs, that still is nothing compared to a prince. I overstepped my boundaries by…giving you air." His cheeks color at that and I cannot help but smile at him.

"I promise not to tell anyone about that, Robin. You have my word."

"Thank you, I believe that you have just saved my life in turn, Prince Ivan."

"That means that we are even then." I nod to him but he shakes his head.

"No, I will be eternally indebted to you for as long as you have knowledge of what I have done today. I cannot go back on that. I will find some way to repay you, though, I can promise you that much." Again, I nod. I may not understand what he means by that now, but in the future, I believe I will be the one to figure out the meaning of his words.

"We should get out of the river before we catch a cold." I say after a few minutes and start to swim to the other shore. I pull myself out of the water, collapse onto the back and roll over onto my back. "I think I put a little too much energy into that last Psynergy attack."

"It certainly was impressive." Compliments Robin as he climbs onto the bank next to me, ringing out his tunic and shaking the water out of his hair. "I am sure that any Air Energist would be proud to perform such a technique." I nod, not sure what to say to that. I barely know anything about my powers…I wonder what their full extent could be…to control storms, air and lightning. I wonder if it will get any easier to control.

"Are you ready to go?" He asks after waiting patiently. The sun had moved across the sky and was now above us, rather than to our right. I move to sit up but flop back down with a groan.

"I don't think I can move."

"Well, we cannot stay here much longer. The assassins could be back any minute. I do not think that they are the kind of people who give up that easily, especially not with such a persistent master." I try to move again but the result is the same. "Here, I'll carry you again."

"Wait, no!" He does not let me continue with my protest, merely scooping me up in his arms with both of our packs slung over his shoulder. "Are you sure that you are up to it, Robin? I do not want you to overexert yourself on my behalf." He smirks at me as he begins to walk along the path again.

"Nonsense, you practically weigh nothing and I have a lot more energy than you since I did not use any of my Psynergy. We should reach Haidia Village just before nightfall if we do not run into any trouble. For the time being, I suggest you sleep to recover your Psynergy." I open my mouth to protest, but there is a glint in his eyes, warning me against it and his following words reinforce the look in his eyes. "And I will not take no for an answer, I have ways of making you keep quiet, Prince Ivan."

I swallow at the threat and nod, letting my head rest on his shoulder as he falls into a steady, rhythmic walk that slowly begins to lull me to sleep.

_I am floating just behind a strange throne in a circular room. The room looks like it should be freezing to stand in, but I am perfectly warm. This must be a dream…I bite down on my bottom lip, hoping that the dream would not take a turn for the worse or rather…as it was going now, a turn for the weird. Nice choice of words, Ivan. I berate myself mentally and wait patiently, floating in the air like a silent ghost, unseen by the people in the room._

_Three people enter the room through the giant doorway at the other side of the room, each of them shivering from both fright and cold. So my first instincts were justified, the room must be cold. However, the three brush it off and kneel on the ground once they reach the throne. It is the three people that I had knocked out just minutes before Robin and I plunged into the river._

_"Your Highness, we have discovered the whereabouts of the boy that you seek."_

_"Have you now…tell me." I turn to look at the person sitting in the throne but their face alludes me, the man's face shrouded in shadow. I frown and turn my gaze back to the three men._

_"He is with the White Knight, Robin Kyle-Dora of Haidia Village." Kyle…Dora…those must be the names of Robin's parents. "The White Knight is protecting him."_

_"I already know that, you fool. Why else would I have delved into Ivan's dreams to make sure that I could try to push him away from the White Knight? If Robin is able to get Ivan then my plans will be ruined, we need him to keep away from Robin at all cost."_

_"What should we do?"_

_"Nothing, you obviously lack the talent or knowledge for a task of such great importance. I need another. Someone with the skill that this takes…I have the perfect person in mind for the job and I want you to retrieve him." The three men stand at attention. "Go to the village far north of Haidia Village, the village covered in snow around this time. Imil, where the throne of the Mercury Heir was built. I want you to find the man by the name of Alex. Merely explain to him our plight and he will readily help us."_

_"And if he does not…?"_

_"Tell him we will give him what he wants."_

_"What he wants, Sire?"_

_"The power to defeat the White Knight, the power of Golden Sun. If he does not wish to help us before that, he will jump at the chance to obtain Golden Sun. He did cast off his love just because he heard rumors about where the power may lay dormant." A small laugh, "Which is one of the reasons the White Knight is so powerful and why Alex hates him so much. Alex lost half of the power of Golden Sun to Robin when they were children. It was a test the Gods inflicted on the two, the one to pass received half of the power of Golden Sun as well as the power to protect the Heirs. Alex was never meant to pass. It was written in the stars that Robin would become the Guardian of the Heirs, just as it was written in the stars that Ivan would one day become…"_

_What? What shall I become? I was hanging onto every word that left the man's lips, every syllable meant something to me. He knew about me. He had to, he could read the stars so was it possible that somehow he was an Air Energist just like me?_

_However, I never got a chance to find out what he knew or though I would become because the next words that leave his mouth shook me to my very core. "It seems that we have an unexpected visitor from the past…peeking in on our conversation."_

_"Sire?"_

_"Ivan, it is not very polite to peek into a future you should not be learning about yet. You will just have to forget about everything that you learned here."_

_A blinding white light fills the room and I throw my arms up in front of my eyes to guard against the flash of light. "Un…"_

_"Take good care of yourself, Ivan. I shall be the one to kill you and take Robin for my own. I will be the one to end all of this. I will be the one to end your suffering. It will end with you, my little Heir Apparent."_

"Un…" I wake up in someone's arms and it takes me a minute before I realize whose arms they belonged to. Robin. Robin was still carrying me in his arms and he was still walking along the dirt path. I tighten my grip around his neck, pulling myself closer to him. For some reason, I feel cold and I shiver even though I try hard to fight against the urge to do so.

"Prince Ivan, are you all right?" Robin stops walking and I can feel his eyes on me. "Prince Ivan, please open your eyes. I know that you are no longer sleeping." I blink my eyes open and I see him looking down at me, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Where are we?" I ask, avoiding his first question because frankly, I do not know if I am all right.

"Almost to Haidia Village, it should just be over that hill." He looks in the direction towards the north but I merely nod, not tearing my eyes from his. "I answered your question, now you answer mine. Are you all right?" Obviously I was fighting a loosing battle, trying to avoid his question.

"I am fine, maybe a little tired still but nothing a good-night's rest should not cure. I will be fine. Please stop worrying about me so much, Robin. It is a little unnerving to have my hero worrying about me so much." He smiles.

"And why is that? Shouldn't a hero worry about his prince?" My cheeks warm at his joke and I have to remind myself that he is just kidding with me, just a friendly joke between two people.

"Not all the time, then you're not a hero, you're a worrywart."

"Is that so? Well, it does not look as if I am a very good hero, eh?"

"No, it's just that I am not a very good prince."

"That I can agree with."

"Hey!" This is different from the Robin that I met. I just realized that. He must act differently around certain people. I am positive that he would never tease me in such a way if we were around…anyone else. This must mean he can trust me with being himself, if this is the real him. He still confuses me. Even after being with him for a couple of days, I have seen so many different sides of him that I am not sure what to expect from him.

He laughs, "I am sorry, I should not have said that. I was just teasing you, Prince Ivan." Now if only I can get him to drop the 'Prince' part. At least he has stopped called me 'Your Highness', I suppose that that is an improvement in and of itself.

"It is all right." His eyes suddenly light up.

"There is it, Haidia Village." I finally turn my head to follow his eyes and gasp. Haidia Village, even from the outside looks beautiful. Tall wooden gates block outside access to the village but I can still see house built atop hills in the distance. Even farther, near the large mountains near the horizonmountains that I knew were named Goma Rangewas a large, violet colored mountain, not as tall as the others but still quite impressive. Robin must have caught my gaze because he said, "That is Mt. Aleph, and it is the reason Haidia Village was built in this particular spot. All of the villagers of Haidia Villageexpect oneare Energists."

"Really?"

"Yes, but none of them have the power of Luna, in other words, there are no Water or Air Energists. Haidia Village was built around Mt. Aleph which is where Sol Sanctum in. Sol Sanctum protects the secrets of Alchemy and we protect Sol Sanctum."

"Wow…" I whisperand I mean itstill looking at Mt. Aleph.

"Well, it's almost nightfall, we should get to the gates or else the gatekeeper will get mad at us for keeping him from his sleep." Robin laughs and hurries along the path. It takes a while but we finally reach the gates and even though I try to push myself out of his arms, Robin keeps his grip tight around me, hindering my success at trying to climb out of his arms. In fact, I make no progress at all. I finally give up and just sit in his arms as he pulls on a chain that rings a bell near the wooden tower at the top of the gate.

There was a loud thud followed by a string of loud curses and Robin glares up at the tower. "Watch your mouth, Gerald. I certainly hope that you do not speak to the King in such a manner. Such disrespect." He snaps as a young man, a little younger than Robin, pokes his head out of the tower, scratching his spiky auburn hair.

"Well, I'll be damned, if it isn't Mister Stick-up-his-ass himself! I thought you were going to take a month off to travel around, but here you are back at our doorsteps only after a week. Color me surprised."

"Color you demoted if you do not open the gates right now, Gerald." Robin hisses, most likely still mad at Gerald for his language.

"It is great to see that your sense of humor has not suffered in this week away from Haidia Village." He is about to pull his head out of the window but he spots me, I can tell because his eyes lock onto mine and he glances at Robin, smirking. "I did not expect you to be bringing back company, Robin. I didn't know that you were into little kids, who is he?"

Robin blushed but tried to ignored it, "His name is Prince Ivan, he is the Air Energist that His Majesty has requested to help us."

"Somehow I thought Prince Ivan would be a little different."

"Just open the gates already!"

"All right, all right. You don't have to bite my head off." He finally pulls out of sight to open the gates. Robin lets out a sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"Why not? It certainly would save me from a lot of migraines." I look back at Robin and he suddenly looks very tired. I wish he would let me down…it would relieve at least a little bit of his pain. Since he won't…

I reach forward with my hands and place both my middle and index finger of my hands on either side of his face at his temples. He looks at me, a little confused at first. "Here, this will help reduce the tension…and help the blood flow to your brain so it does not hurt as much." I begin to move my fingers in a circular motion on his temples and he closes his eyes.

"That actually does make me feel better…" He whispers, his shoulders relaxing, "How did you learn about this?" I smile, laughing.

"Lord Hammet always gave Lady Layana headaches and migraines so I saw her doing this a lot. She mainly did it when I was around because I could easily pick up on her pain and I passed out most of the time because it was so intense."

"Well, that is good to know. Gerald is always giving me a migraine because he just will not listen to anyone." He opens his eyes and smiles at me, "Thank you, Prince Ivan. You are a very kind person."

"I have been told it is because I was partly raised by Lady Layana…"

"I have met Lady Layana and I can agree with that, she was very nice to me when I was there."

"You went to…Karei Town? When was this?" Robin smiles weakly.

"I actually have a confessed to make to you, Prince Ivan. Back in Vault…that was not the first time we met each other." I do not have a chance to ask him to explain before the gates open and Gerald appears out of the window again.

"Gate's open, Robin. I'll close it behind you and ask one of the others to take my watch. I'll meet you up at the castle in a couple of minutes."

"Thank you, Gerald. Try not to give the other guard a hard time." He nods to him and walks through the gate. "That was Gerald, one of my childhood friends. He can be a bit…pigheaded but his heart is in the right place, which is probably why he is still the gatekeeper."

"…Childhood friend, huh? But just a second ago…"

"He can get on my nerves sometimes but I just yell at him to make sure that he does not go overboard. Gerald needs to be talked to carefully or he will either blow up in your or go off and make everyone else mad at him by being an idiot." I tilt my head to one side and then the other.

"I think…I understand." Robin laughs.

"Do not put too much thought into it, Gerald may seem simple but trying to understand him can be a very complex thing. I do not think that his parents even understand him most of the time." Robin walks through the quiet village still carrying me in his arms. After three or more flights of stairs and passing over on bridge, he finally sets me down on the ground and I wobble, falling back into his arms. "Are you all right to walk? Carrying you before the guards would not look proper to them."

"I think I can manage."

"Very well then, follow me." He bows past me and leads me up three steps and then into a large clearing with an impressive castle just before us. Two guards in silver armor are placed in front of the giant wooden doors that lead into the castle, both of them carrying lances. I fight the urge to grab onto Robin's arm and walk behind him, gulping. "I, Robin Kyle-Dora, have returned with Prince Ivan."

"Good to see you again, Sir Robin. I thought that you would have taken more time away from Haidia Village since you love to travel so much." Said one of the guards. I see Robin clench a fist at this and I wish I could have leaned around him to see his expression but I dare not move before those lances. I merely drop my gaze down to my boots, suddenly finding the bindings very interesting.

"…Yes." He answers, "Please, I must bring Prince Ivan to the King."

"Right this way then, you know the way, Sir Robin. His Majesty said that no one aside from yourself was to be trusted with Prince Ivan." Robin nods and steps forward, walking past the guards and pushing the doors open. I hurry after him before the guards have a chance to study me.

I move so fast that I do not have time to stop myself when Robin suddenly pauses in the middle of the hallway and I run headlong into him, stumbling backwards in a daze. "Are you all right, Prince Ivan?"

"I'm fine." I slur, waving to the two Robins dancing in front of my eyes. "Robin, you didn't tell me you had a twin. Nice to meet you, Robin's brother. Name's Ivan." I stagger to the side and bump into the wall. I stay there, trying to make the corridor stop spinning when I feel the wall begin to sink under my weight. "Wha-what?" Robin grabs my wrist before I can fall through and a second later, the wall that I had leaned against disappears and a narrow passageway takes its place.

We stand there staring at the passageway for a few minutes before a young man steps out of the passage, blinking at us, probably looking just as confused as we are. Then the man speaks, "This is something that I never would have thought I would see," He starts, his voice deep and rich, but with the same amount of calm that Robin has in his own voice, "my best friend coming back from a journey earlier than expected."

"This journey had a deadline." Robin says, finally smiling at the newcomer. The new man looks down at me with warm russet eyes and a kind smile on his face.

"Well, it certainly does seem that you were successful. Are you going to properly introduce us, Robin, or are you just going to let the poor kid stand there with a confused expression on his face." He tilts his head and I can feel his eyes traveling from my face to where Robin has his hand on my wrist. Instead of saying anything, his smile merely widens.

"Of course, Garcia, this is Prince Ivan." He nods to the man named Garcia and I suddenly realize who this man is. "Prince Ivan, this is Garcia, prince and Heir Apparent toe the Throne of Haidia Village as well as Heir to the Venus Throne."

"Oh my…"

"Please do not make a big deal about it. I am sick of people treating me differently when they find out that I am one of the four Heirs to the throne of Heaven. Deep down I am no more different from anyone else. With that said, it is wonderful to finally meet you, Ivan."

"Same here." I say, for lack of anything else to say. The three of us fall into an uncomfortable silence, Robin looking around the corridor, sometimes whistling while Garcia tapped his foot on the ground or fiddled with his ponytail, throwing it on his shoulder or letting it rest on his back. I just look down at the ground, trying to avoid both of their gazes because Robin still had not released my hand from his grip and I was growing increasingly embarrassed with each passing moment.

"We certainly are a talkative bunch." Joked Garcia finally.

"Just wait until Gerald gets here, then you'll be praying for this silence, Garcia." I look back at Robin. He has a genuine smile on his face now. Maybe there is still hope that Robin will drop the title of 'prince' for me if he is speaking to Garcia without using the term as well. I smile to myself at that hope.

"True but he should take some time finding the second guard to take up his watch."

"Un, you're right. Gerald has been slacking in his duties lately and the other guard needs his rest. I just hope that he does not ask his brother to take up the post."

"Again." Added Garcia, shaking his head. He turns to me, smiling again, "Come with me, Ivan, my father will be pleased to speak with you. I will be able to handle it from here, Robin. You look worn out, I hope that you did not run all the way here like you did that one time." Robin laughs.

"That was only one time and that was because my mother threatened to ground me for three months if I did not get home by a specific day. Besides, this time I only ran halfway and that was because we were being chased by assassins most of the way."

"You always have all the fun, Robin. I need to start getting out more. Oh, speaking of your mother, she and your father said that they wanted to see you as soon as you returned from Vault. They are waiting in the guest hall near the throne room, so you can visit with them and still be close to Ivan. Is that okay with you?" Robin tilts his head to the side.

"Hn…Prince Ivan, you can trust Garcia. Besides, His Majesty needs to explain everything to you. I will be in the room just down the hall so if you need me, just tell Garcia and he can get me." Robin finally releases my hand and I allow my arm to swing down to my side.

"I will be fine." He nods and bows to us, turning on his heel and walking down the corridor. I watch after him until he disappears around a corner, his footsteps fading long before his image does.

"Shall we go then?" asks Garcia, gesturing down the corridor Robin had been walking down. I nod and he leads me down the hall. Instead of turning where Robin had, we continue straight and pause at a step of giant double doors, larger than even those that lead us into the palace. He pushes them open and we step inside.

The sight of the throne room astounds me. There are large, marble pillars on either side of the middle pathway that leads up to two thrones set up at the back of the throne room. A red velvet rug with gold trimming lays out the pathway. Behind the two thrones is a large, stain glass window with the image of four mythical creatures and I can only assume that they represent the four Gods and Goddesses.

Sitting on the thrones are a man and a woman, both in their mid-forties and both wearing regal outfits and large crowns studded with impressive gems. Garcia leads me down the path and stops me before the man and woman, bowing his head to them. I follow his example but bow much lover, wanting to show my respect for them.

"Rise, Prince Ivan, I would not expect someone of you status to bow to us." I hear the woman say and I break out of my power in surprise. She is smiling at me kindly, almost motherly.

"I do not understand…" I whisper, fighting the urge to bow my head and look down at my feet, another sign of respect I had been taught. Old habits are hard to break, especially if you had been raised as a servant for most of your life.

"Your parents would not want you bowing to anyone." She explains to me, "And you have no need to. You far outrank us, even though you think you are just a prince." The man next to her, the king, places his hand on hers to stop her from saying more. I feel a surge of resentment towards the man but I quickly force it to go away. It is a bitter, pointless emotion and I do not like feeling it. It always makes me feel worse.

"Please, dear, we need to explain other things to him first before he learns of that. Besides, it is not our place. He needs to hear it from her." Just when I thought all my questions would be answered, thousands more fill my head, almost overwhelming me. "I am glad that you came to meet with us, Ivan. We are in great need of your help."

"My help, Your Majesty?"

"Yes. I am not sure if you are aware of this but there has been strange things happening ever since the last Heirs passed away and their control of the Thrones disappeared and hatred slipped into the hearts of many."

"I have heard some of this from Lord Hammet…" I say after he pauses, "But he did not explain much of it to me and I am still a little confused about what he meant by that."

"You would be, you grew up in a time without Heirs on the throne, even now, only three of the Heirs have been found. Which means the Thrones cannot be taken because all four Heirs must sit upon the Thrones at the same time or else…there will be a shift in power and this shift could cause even more trouble for the power of Weyard." He pauses for a minute to let this information sink in, but strangely enough, I was ready to hear something like this. "I am sure that Robin has explained most of this to you so I will spare you my egotistical babble and tell you why I need your help."

"Why _we_ need your help." Corrected the Queen, smiling at her husband and son. "You see, Ivan, Garcia is our son, Heir to the Venus Throne, making him an Earth Energist like Robin. We also have a daughter, a Fire Energist. She is the Heir to the Mars Throne. It is the first time that siblings have ever been Heirs to the Throne of Heaven, but I suppose that it is understandable."

"That is not the point, a few weeks ago, our daughter, Jasmine, was kidnapped during a storm." Says the King and I cannot suppress the gasp that comes out of my mouth at this. I do not know why I was so surprised by this. Why else would they be talking about their daughter? "Robin is here in Haidia Village because two of the Heirs are here. If they had not been, he would either be in Lemuria, looking after Robin, or traveling around Weyard. It is his duty to protect them, whether he likes it or not." I narrow my eyes at the king. His tone…I do not like it one bit.

"We need your help to find out where Jasmine is. You are an Air Energist and we have confidence in your abilities, you will be able to find our daughter." I take a step back, suddenly overwhelmed by the request.

"I…I do not know if I can do that, Your Highness." I say, bowing my head to her reflexively. "I have trouble using my powers and…and I am not sure what you are asking of me. I do not know what you want me to do. I can barely perform even the most minimal of Psynergy attack summons and aside from that, all I can do is read people's thoughts and sense their emotions."

"Of course, you will need more training." Smiles the King, "Which is why we sent Robin to Master Hama a couple of years back, to ask her to teach him how to…well, teach you."

"Please, do not expect too much of me, Your Majesty."

"Do not belittle yourself, Ivan. We both knew your parents and their powers were magnificent. They could tell the future with ease, just as Master Hama can. I am sure that with a little bit of training, you will be able to do the same." I want to scream out. I want to tell them I cannot do this but that would be childish. I have to resist doing something like that. I have to handle this with as much maturity as I can muster. How would Lady Layana and Lord Hammet wish me to act in this situation?

"I cannot promise anything but I will try my best to help you find your daughter." I bow to them again.

"Splendid." Said the Queen, clapping her hands together, "Garcia, show Ivan to one of the guest bedrooms and then ask Robin to come to the throne room, I want to speak with him about Ivan's training."

"Yes, Your Highness." Garcia says, bowing and turning. "Come on, Ivan." He whispers to me gently, taking me by my elbow and leading me out of the throne room. Once we are outside, the doors close behind us and he sighs. "I apologize for my parents' behavior. They have both been worried sick about my sister's safety and they have tried everything to get her back, but to no avail. Robin has even given up, which is quite surprising, but not so much for me…he can hold grudges for a long time but he cannot go against a direct order, which is why he was waiting for you in Vault."

"…What do you mean?" Robin does not seem like the kind of person who would hold a grudge.

"I think you should ask Robin, it is not my place."

"That is what everyone says. If you know, you should just tell me, I'll find out eventually."

"Right, which is why you are going to find out from Robin and not me." He leads me down a strange hallway with row after row of portraits of kings and queens past. He finally stops in front of a door at the end of the corridor. "Here is your room for the time being. I will send Robin to see you as soon as he is done with my parents. I trust that the two of you will have much to discuss later on."

"Now that I have even more questions." I say to him, "Thank you, Garcia."

"Do not mention it. I have not seen Robin this happy in years."

"Huh?" He is gone before I can ask him what he meant by that and I sigh; preparing to slip into my room but something stops me. I stand there with my hand hovering above the doorknob. If I want answers…I am going to have to get them myself and there is only one way to do that. Sneak around and get them. I turn away from my room and tear down the hallway, glad that I had remembered every twist and turn Garcia had taken to bring me to the guest room. I quickly flipped the mental map around in my mind and plotted a course that would take me back to the throne room.

When I get there, the doors are slightly ajar and I slip in near them, leaning against them just so that I can hear and slightly see into the throne room without being seen myself. I can see Robin's back, slightly tense as he stands before the King and Queen with Garcia at his side. "You are going to make me put Ivan though that? He is not apart of this." Robin says, waving his hand to the King and Queen, "It is my fault that Jasmine was kidnapped, I was not thinking. Do not punish Ivan for my mistakes."

"You are overstepping your boundaries, Robin. He outranks you." Said the King. Robin shuffles his feet uncomfortably.

"_Prince_ Ivan does not need to go through this just for us. If I have to, I will search for Jasmine myself but do not make Prince Ivan do this just because I refused to search for Jasmine before now."

"At least you can care for another royal other than our son and Prince Picard." Smirked the Queen, shaking her head, "Tell us, Robin, what is it about this boy that you want to protect? Is it your duty or something else? Just because he has shown you kindness?"

"It is nothing."

"If that is true, then you will train Ivan. His parents would have wanted that. He will become stronger. His sister will want him to become stronger." I clap my hand to my mouth at this, stifling a gasp of surprise. Did I hear her correctly? Did she just say…sister? And not in past tense either. I…I have a sister?

"Master Hama did not teach me all those things so that I could teach her brother. She did that so that I could gain more knowledge about Air Energists, so that I could help make it easier for Prince Ivan, not force him to learn things before his time. He is not ready for this yet, he told me how much it hurt him to use his Psynergy and I was being pushed and he would have left me there to die if I gave up." He shakes his head and looks down at his hand, "I am not about to let Prince Ivan go through something like that. He is too kind for that, I will not be the one to break him!"

"Oh, but Robin, don't you want to be free to travel again? If Jasmine is returned to us, you can move as you please. There have been no attacks on Haidia Village so Jasmine and Garcia will be safe to remain here without your protection."

"Are you…bribing me? You think I will give in that easily? You think I am so shallow to just do something like this to Prince Ivan just so that I can travel?" He begins to laugh, holding his hand to his face, leaning back and laughing harder. "For the love of Venus! You obviously do not know anything about me! I have morals. I can refuse a direct order if I want to. In the end, I serve only the Heirs and myself. Above all, the only order that counts is the one from my heart."

"You have no choice, Robin. The Gods want this as well." Said the King gently.

"…Dammit." Whispered Robin, turning his back to the King and Queen, "Fine, I'll do it, but I'm going to do it my way. It will take time but I am not about to harm Prince Ivan in anyway. And I do not want any interference."

"Of course not."

I swallow and quickly tiptoe away from the door. Okay a little more than I wanted to hear, but I did want to figure things out…I guess I got more than bargained for. I take a turn at the next hallway, dragging my feet along the carpet. Robin…he seemed so angry…was it because of me?

He…he said my name, without the title…I wonder why he would do that before the King and Queen, even Garcia was there…He is a confusing person.

I lose myself in my thoughts, allowing my legs to carrying me through the unfamiliar passages of the castle until I finally pause and look around. I know where I am, just in the corridor before the one where my guest room is contained. However, I am not alone. I tense up and spin around, jumping when I see a little boy standing behind me, a wide smile on his face.

"Hello, Ivan. So we meet again."

"Again…? Do I know you?"

"Yes, you just do not remember me. I had to…erase your memory because you learned something that you should not know. You have done it again. You are a very clever boy; I must say that I am quite impressed. No wonder you make Robin so happy." I would have been flustered at the remark if I had not been so confused by the boy's presence.

"You are right, Ivan. I do have all the answers to all your questions, but I am not about to give them up so quickly. You have something that I want right now and that is the memory of what you have heard in this corridor and the memory of what you heard in the throne room just now. You should not go sneaking around. It inconveniences me so." He lets out a mock sigh and raises his hand up until it is pointing at my forehead. "See you soon, Ivan."

A blinding flash of light and then all is dark. I feel myself falling backwards and the floor is slipping out from beneath me. No! Don't let me fall! What was I doing a second ago…? Where am I…?

_…So very cold…_

_I don't like it here. Why can't I open my eyes? It's too dark in here. Too cold…_

"…Robin…"

Something that we always wonder is…what would it be like if we lost our memory? How would we react to the people we have known all of our lives? Would they treat us differently? Would we act differently around us? Would we like living without our past memories or would we slowly be driven to insanity while we try to regain what we lost? Who could say? It may be different for some. For me, I think it would be frightening, to suddenly lose something so important to you and not even knowing where to begin looking for it. Even more so, I am afraid to lose something before I even obtain it, because…then I do not know how to react to that. Do I miss it? Or should I forget about it completely and move on with my life, pretending that I had never lost something in the first place.

"Is he going to be all right?" Robin's voice cuts into the clouds that surround my mind and I pull myself from the abyss just between consciousness and sleep. I do not open my eyes, though, just in case he says something that I should not know about.

"He should be fine, he was probably just exhausted from being moved around so much and then using that much Psynergy. We are only as strong as we allow ourselves to be. Being drained of Psynergy completely can be very unhealthy for us. Please tell the young prince to take it easy from now on. His body is very fragile."

"Thank you, Priest." A door clicks shut and then someoneRobin, since he is the only one I can sense in the room with mesits down in a chair near the bed.

"Maybe I should have fought after all…" He whispers as I feel the bed sinking slightly under his weight. I open my eyes slightly and see that he is resting his elbows on the edge of the bed, propping his chin on his hand and staring off across the room. "At least if I had done that…you probably would not have passed out…some guardian I turned out to be. I just do not understand other people."

I shift and roll over so that I am facing him. He looks at me with a start, "How long have you been…I meanare you feeling all right?" I nod slowly, sitting up now. "You probably should not move just yet."

"I am fine, you do not have to worry about me so much, Robin. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." I say to him, hoping my words do not sound too harsh. I play them over in my mind again and decide to add, "Thank you for helping me out again."

"I did not do much, I just got the Priest to look after you and make sure that there was nothing wrong with you."

"What happened?" I ask, opting to look around the room instead of into his worried eyes. He is always worrying about me. In part, I am happy to have someone worry about me but then again, it makes me feel as if I cannot take care of myself.

"I am not sure. I was walking down the hall to visit you when I turned the corner and saw you standing in the middle of the corridor with a dazed look in your eyes. You…um…" He seems hesitant to add something and out of the corner of my eyes, I see him glance from me and back to the bed sheets. "You began to fall backwards. I ran forward and caught you before you could hit the ground. I carried you back here and went to get the Priest after that. You've only been unconscious for about…an hour, maybe more."

"The Priest said that it was due to exhaustion."

"He thinks so." I look back at him.

"You do not sound all that sure that he is correct in his assumptions."

"Those are the assumptions of an old man that does not know anything about the anatomy of an Energist, let alone our physical and mental capabilities. I would not trust what he says as much as someone would trust me to raise sheep." I hold my hand to my mouth as I attempt to suppress the giggles that come up at the mental image that pops into my head at his last words. "I am glad that I could have made you laugh, even if it was at the expense of my own dignity."

"So-sorry." I apologize to him, wiping away a tear that had escaped from my eye. "I should not have laughed but I could not help it…I just thought of something very funny." He nods to me, a small smile slipping onto his face.

After a while, I decide to bring something up. "Robin, something has been bothering me."

"Really? What is that?"

"Well, you told me that we have met before, right? You said that just before we entered the village through the gates." He nods carefully, his eyes never leaving my own. "Please explain. I do not remember this happening at all. I am sure that I would have remembered meeting you, you certainly do leave quite an impression on people, even when you do not say much at all."

"I hope that I can take that as a compliment." He laughs.

"You should." I smile at him, "Since that is true, and you obviously agree with me, then why do I not remember you?"

"You were probably too young to even care about some passing traveler. Besides, I told you to never tell anyone about us meeting and that probably helped drive it from your mind." I blink at him.

"You told me to…"

"Yes, because I was just in Karei Town to check up on you to make sure that you were doing well. I was not to speak with or see you because I was really not even supposed to be there because the King ordered it thus. It was probably because he did not want anyone seeing us together or they would begin to think that you were more than just a servant." I nod, somewhat speechless. "Do you want me to tell you what happened, since you can know now…just so long as you do not tell the king or queen."

I nod again and he leans back in his chair. "Let's see, if must have been…five or six years since you first went to Hammet Palace, so you were still very young at the time. I had just started training on my own and Karei Town was my last stop on this continent before I left for the next, I had to stop here anyway to get more supplies.

"I told Lady Layana about my mission because at that time, Lord Hammet was away on a caravanI had met him in the town just before Karei Town and he asked me to visit with Lady Layana if I ever stopped by here. While I was here, I decided to start asking questions about you. How you were progressing with your powers, how well you were adapting to that false life and whatnot. Lady Layana could not stop raving about you." He smiles, "She said it was like having her own little boy to take care of and love."

"Lady Layana said that about me…?" When I was a child, I had always thought that I was a burden to Lady Layana and Lord Hammet. I even considered running away many times but there was nowhere for me to go so I always chose to stay there and wait it out until the assassin finally grew tired of me and decided to leave me alone.

"Yes, she is quite fond of you. Then again, who wouldn't be?" I blush and quickly bow my head to hide my cheeks from him.

"Pl-please continue."

"Very well. I spoke with Lady Layana for a long time and she seemed very interested about my journey. I told her as much as I was allowed and then started to ask her more about you since I was not allowed to see you myself." He tilts his head to the side, looking me up and down. "Anyway, she asked me to stay there the night and it had grown dark regardless and the last ship to Tolbi had already left for the day, meaning I would either have to stay in the palace or sleep outside. I guess you can decide for yourself what I choose."

"Never turn down the offer to sleep indoors when the chance arises." I smile, repeating something Lord Hammet had told me a long time ago.

"Yes." He nods, smiling at me before continuing with his story, "I have trouble sleeping in different buildings but very little difficulty sleeping outdoors, so needless to say, I was a little restless. I snuck out of my room during the middle of the night and wondered around the corridors until I began to tire. That was when I tried to go back to my room…but found myself lost."

"You should have been paying attention to where you were going." I chided him.

"Yes, but if I had been paying attention, I would not have grown tired and then there would be no point to me wondering around in the corridors like that." He waits for me to add anything to this but I remain silent, allowing him to continue. "It took me around an hour until I found a room that did not have its door closed. I peeks inside and saw a young boy reading by the window in his sleeping gown. That was you, Prince Ivan." Ah! I always left the door open when I was younger, just in case I got scared at night, that way I could run off to Lady Layana.

"I knocked on the door and you nearly jumped out of your skin, throwing your book under a table and making a mad scramble to your bed." He laughs again, "I did not think that I would startle you that much."

"Yes, well…Lady Layana would always yell at me for reading during the night."

"Anyway, you finally turned to look at me after you had one foot on the bed. You just sort of stared at me for a minute before dropping to your knees with a relieved look on your face." The memory of this hits me like a ton of bricks, leaving me lightheaded.

"I remember now…"

_I drop to my knees when I see that it is not Lady Layana standing in the doorway, but a boy with pale blue eyes and a surprised look on his face. I must have made for quite a sight, sitting and reading by the window and then jumping for the bed. "What a relief. I thought that you were Lady Layana."_

_"What is wrong with Lady Layana?" He asks, stepping into my room._

_"Nothing." I say, blushing with embarrassment at my earlier words. "She just does not like it when I read with such poor lightning. She says it will ruin my eyes."_

_"Will it?" I look up at him and shrug my shoulders, "Then why do you do it?"_

_"Because I don't know if it will or not." He nods and takes another step towards me. I now take the time to look at him more closely. He is dressed in all blue and he has dirty blonde hair that is just a bit lighter than mine is. He has a calm expression on his face, if not just a little bit confused, but I suppose that I did surprise him with my earlier scramble for the bed. "Um…who are you?"_

_"My name is Robin." I push myself off the ground and reach a hand out to him._

_"Hello, Robin, my name is Ivan." Something passes over his pale blue eyes but it is gone so quickly that I am not quite sure that it was even there in the first place. He takes my hand, twisting my wrist gently to the side so that the back of my hand is facing up and he leans down, planting a quick kiss on the back of my hand. I blink at him before giggling. "What was that?"_

_"A kiss." He said with an ecstatic smile, "My mentor said that I should greet you like that if I ever met you." I return his smile. I think I am beginning to like Robin._

_"I've never seen you around here before, Robin. Are you new here?" He nods._

_"But I'm not going to be staying for long. I just have to rest a little before I leave again."_

_"Oh…" I try not to sound too disappointed but I think he catches the drop in my voice._

_"Don't worry, I am sure that we will meet each other again. Weyard is not all that big, I hope, and I can probably visit you any time as soon as my training is over." He says this but I can tell that as much as he wants it to be true as well, he cannot keep that spoken promise._

_I nod anyway, trying not to think about it that way. I smile up at him, "While you're here, why don't we get to know each other a little better?" I walk to the windowsill where I have pillows piled up to make it more comfortable because I read there so much._

_"I'd like that."_

_We talk for hours, mainly about whatever comes to mind, basic things, nothing too personal but not withholding too much information at the same time so we do not come off as paranoid._

_Then, he turns to look at the window when he notices that my eyes are beginning to droop and that I am letting my words run together so badly that they begin to make no sense at all. "It is getting late, you should rest now."_

_I hop to my feet, stumbling to the side as soon as I do this. He holds out his hand and catches me, holding me steady, "Will you be able to find your room?" I ask as he backs me up to the bed and helps me sit down._

_"I will manage. Good night." He turns and walks towards the door, pausing in the doorway, "There is something that I have to ask of you before I leave, Ivan. A favor…"_

_"What is it?" I ask, glancing over at him. He drums his fingers on the wall to cut into the silence that follows my words._

_"Please, do not tell anyone about meeting me, Ivan. Let it just be our little secret, so that even if I cannot see you again, you are the only on who will know that I have ever met you." His words do not make any sense to me but there is an intensity in them that I cannot deny and I find myself nodding._

_"I promise not to tell a soul."_

_"Thank you, Ivan." He bows his head and then disappears down the corridor, his footsteps echoing in the corridor until even they fade away to the quiet of the sleeping palace._

_"Robin…"_

I look at him now. He has changed so much since then, from his height to his voice and right down to his looks. It is amazing how years of training can change a person so much. His smile seems softer and harder to bring out and even when he does smile, it takes a lot to make the emotion reach his eyes. What could he have seen to change him so much?

"So, you do remember." I nod, smiling softly.

"Even if it was hard for me to remember it now, you did leave a lasting impression on me." I laugh, "You were so mature for your age that it surprised me."

"Well, I was not exactly given the chance to live a normal childhood. My mentor forced me to grow up as quickly as I could, or else…to him, I was better off dead." He lets his head fall back, his hair barely grazing his shoulders as he stares up at the ceiling. "He was…severe to say the least. Apart from myself, there was another boy that he was told to give the same training. You would have thought that the two of us would have formed some sort of bond over time but we did not. For some reason, he came to hate me even more than he hated our mentor."

"That is not fair, you did not do anything to anger him so he hated you for no reason."

"People can be like that, Prince Ivan." I look at him, watching him as he continues to look at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling in a slow pattern, the only movement from him other than his occasional blinks.

"Why do you insist on…still using my title?" At this, he tears his eyes away from the ceiling, jerking out of his pervious pose to look at me.

"I…because I am no longer the boy you knew." I frown as he shifts his eyes away from mine uncomfortably, and he takes a deep breath, releasing it with a heavy sigh.

"What will it take for you to drop the title?" I ask him.

"I…do not know." He rises out of his chair and reaches out to me with his hand. My first thought is to pull away but I remain still, reminding myself that this is Robin and that I know him…or at least I knew the boy that he used to be.

He rests his hand on my cheek. "You have a fever. You should rest before it becomes worse." He begins to pull away from me but I have to ask.

"What will you do, Robin?" He pauses with his hand still on my cheek. I can see my reflection in his eyes and it frightens me how calm I look even though inside, I am shaking. What am I so afraid of? There is nothing that he has said to me that should have made me this fearful. Is it something else?

"What do you mean?"

"Now that I am here, in Haidia Village. The King and Queen told me that you would…teach me how to use my powers further." He nods solemnly, finally letting his hand fall away from my cheek. "You don't have to, if you do not want to. I am sure that you would much rather travel than stay around here looking after me."

"I cannot do that. My duty is to guard the Heirs to the Throne. Since Prince Picard is in Lemuria, safe and hidden in the castle, and Princess Jasmine has been kidnapped, Garcia is the only Heir for me to protect. Besides, I cannot just leave you alone in a strange place. I promised Lord Hammet that I would protect you and I intend to do just that. I never go against an order if I can help it."

"You can always continue searching for the remaining Heir." He shakes his head.

"The Heirs awaken in their own time. Regardless of the distance, once the remaining Heir awakens, I will be able to find him or her and explain to them what is happening. Then…" He lets his voice trail off but I know better than to ask him what he was going to say. If he wants me to know, he will tell me. It is better if I do not know anyway; it would just add more questions that I would want to be answered later.

"I hope that I do not cause you too much trouble, Robin."

"I doubt that you will be the cause of any of my troubles, Prince Ivan." He pulls away from the bed and takes a step towards the door. "Get some rest. As soon as the Priest says that you are ready, we can begin your training."

**TBC**

Read and review please!


	3. Bridge Talk

**Heir to the Throne  
By**: Datenma

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Golden Sun! But the song that is sung in this, I do own! Though…I don't think I should be very proud of that fact…

**Warning:** Shounen-ai hints! Don't like, don't read!

OMG! Midnyte Wolf! That was the sweetest review I had ever gotten! Do you know how much that made my day? I tried to write this chapter sooner so that I didn't have to make everyone wait, but the words just wouldn't come to me. Then my boyfriend broke up with me and the words just wouldn't stop flowing. So, today, I sat down and wrote this. It's not as good as I hoped it would be but I'll go back and make it better later. Thanks for all the reviews everyone, they mean the world to me!

Read and review please!

**Chapter 3:** Bridge Talk

A week must have passed before the Priest finally said that I would be able to train. During that time, Robin visited me constantly, almost as if he was afraid that if he stayed away from me too long, something bad would happen to me. He was with me when the Priest came in to give me the good news.

He smiles at me kindly, "When the Priest says that it is all right, what do you say to me showing you around Haidia Village? There's no telling how long you are going to be here so it might be a good idea to get a feel for the village, just incase you get sick of me following you are everywhere you go."

"You shouldn't say such things, Robin. You're a really nice person and you're been very kind to me. There's no possible way that I would ever get sick of you." He scratches his cheek, blushing slightly and goes to say something but a knock at the door prevents him from saying anything.

He rises out of his chair and crosses the door, opening to the door to let the Priest into the room. The old man smiles at me as he walks slowly to the edge of my bed, followed closely by Robin. "You have been very patient, Prince Ivan." He says, bowing to me, "And I believe that you are ready to go out and do whatever training Sir Robin has in store for you." He turns and smiles at Robin but the White Knight just nods curtly, looking as if he were struggling with what would be proper of him and what he really wanted to say. Though, it might be too presumptuous to think that I knew that was what Robin was really struggling with.

The Priest excuses himself and exits the room, leaving Robin and myself alone again. Robin drops his formal, stiff stance for a moment, almost forgetting himself completely as he runs a hand through his hair, staring at the door. "The old man really knows nothing about Energists, he likes to pretend he does since he has lived at this village longer than I have been alive. Just because of that he thinks he is some sort of genius and we should all listen to his ramblings."

His pale blue eyes harden for a moment as his voice drops down to a seething whisper. He lets out a sigh before turning to me, his eyes softening and a smile capturing his lips. "Don't tell anyone I said that, though the Priest may not know a lot about Energists, the villagers do hold a great amount of respect for him. Mainly because of what he did when he was younger. You'd be surprised what one great deed will make people think of you."

I tilt my head to the side, a little bemused with this openness but at the same time, finding that I enjoyed it immensely. "And you do not think he is a great person for that one deed?" He shook his head, folding his arms neatly over his chest and leaning back against one of the bedposts.

"It takes more than just one deed to make up for the other things that a person does. If you let it get to your head, then you really aren't a good person at heart. It may all be a part of being human, but you still shouldn't expect outrageous things from other people." I frown at this, "Besides, I judge people on how they are most of the time—not from just one accidental action."

"I see…well, from what you say, he does not seem like a nice person." He smiles softly, shaking his head.

"Just because I do not like him, does not mean that you cannot. The Priest does have his ups and downs, just like any other person." He pushes off the bedpost and lays his palms on the edge of the bed, leaning towards me with a wide smile on his face. "So, what do you say to some 'training'?"

I blink at him, my cheeks warming at the word 'training'. With the way he said it, I was not sure how to take it. But this was Robin; he would not do anything weird, right? I nod at him, "Sure, I'll do whatever you want me to."

He pulls away and looks out of the closest window, "Meet me outside once you're dressed, we'll begin then." He nods to me and leaves the room, closing the door softly behind him.

I wait a moment before pushing the covers away from me and climbing out of the bed, the floor cold when my bare feet touch it. I wince slightly, pausing until I grow accustomed to the sudden chill. I have never been this far north—at least not that I can remember, and it is only cold in Karei Town during winter, so waking up to the sudden cold is new to me. I guess I am going to have to get used to it.

It does not take long for me to wash and dress into some clean clothes, once I do; I leave my room and slip into the silent hallway. Hammet Palace is never quiet during the day, even early in the morning. There is always something exciting going on, maids or knights bustling about the palace, having to go somewhere. Haidia's is nothing like that, it almost seems as if there is no one here at all.

I start to hum a tune Lady Layana used to sing to me when I was growing up, hoping that the familiar song would help me get over this nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach…as if someone or, Gods forbid, _something_ were about to sneak up behind me and…

"Boo!" I must have jumped a foot into the air, yelping like a little child. I spin around, hand out and accidentally unleash a strong gust of wind at the person who had suddenly jumped out of a room.

Whoever it was, the gust of wind sent them flying back onto the floor, laughing so hard they were on the brink of tears. I held my hand to my heart, trying to calm the pounding muscle. Gerald was lying on the floor, clutching his stomach as he double over with laughter. "Ahaha! I haven't seen someone jump like that in years! Not since old Prince Picard was last here! That was priceless!"

I glare at him, my cheeks heated with embarrassment. I certainly was not expecting that, though I probably should have. "I cannot believe you would do such a disrespectful thing to Ivan," I turn around to see Garcia coming down the hall, his hair out of the ponytail I had seen it in before. He has a stern expression set on his face, his eyes smoldering. "You may be able to get away with that sort of stuff with me but Ivan is a different matter. Now, I expect you to apologize to him and go immediately to training with Kyuhi."

Once Gerald's fit of laughter had died, he pushed himself to his feet and bowed to me respectfully. "I apologize, Your Highness, for any misgivings that may have passed between us because of my disrespectful actions, it will never happen again." He pulled out of the bow and grinned at Garcia, winking at him and running down the hall past us.

Garcia sighs as he looks down at me, "I'm sorry about that. Gerald means well, but sometimes his stupidity gets the better of him. We keep him around so that he doesn't hurt himself too badly. Keeping an eye on him all the time is a chore, but someone has to do it." He smiles. "I bet you were going to meet Robin, right?"

I nod and his smile softens, "You really bring out the best in Robin, not many things here can get him to stay, not even his parents. It isn't that he has an obligation to you…" He trails off at that, falling into deep thought. After a moment passes, he shakes it off, "Sorry, I tend to space off now and again. Picard says it's a bad habit that I really need to get over."

Prince Picard must be a great person, if so many people talk about him without being provoked. I hope I can meet him one day.

That is when I notice his attire. He is dressed as if he is going on a long journey or something. "Oh, was I keeping you from something?" He notices my gaze and looks at his clothes himself.

"These? I was just going on a routine trip, every three or so months; I take a boat from Raripero Town to Lemuria. Picard and I switch off every time, and this time it was my turn to go there. I'm sorry that I have to leave so suddenly, but he would never forgive me if I didn't show up." I wave my hand at him.

"It's all right, I don't want anyone going out of their way for me. Robin has already done so much for me; all of you have done so much for me. I only hope that I can repay your kindness."

"I didn't do anything, Ivan, and neither did my parents. If anything, Robin is the one you should be thanking. Try not to put him on the spot, though. I should go now; I'll probably be back before your training is finished, so I'll see you then." We nod to each other and he walks down the hall in the opposite direction.

I turn away and walk down the hall, making my way to the entrance. I do not run into anyone else so it does not take me too long to find the entrance, if you exclude me taking a wrong turn and getting lost for a couple of minutes. I pull the doors open and jump back as a spear slams into the ground where I had been standing a second before.

"Be careful!" yells Robin, running over to us from where he had been standing near the steps leading from the palace. He shoots a cold glare at the guard.

"Sorry, Sir Robin, my hand slipped—" started the guard, gathering his spear up in his hands and saluting to Robin, his fist over his heart.

"That's no excuse, you could have hurt Prince Ivan." Robin holds his hand out to me and I accept it more than willingly. There had been one too many scares this day and I just wanted to relax. Robin pulls me forward, catching me as I stumble. "Are you all right?" He asks gently, pulling me close to his chest.

"Yeah, it's fine, really." I say, both to him and the guard, "There's no damage done." He looks down at me skeptically but says nothing, which I am very thankful for. He pulls away a little bit, not releasing his hold on my hand and leads me away from the palace, back to the main part of the village.

This time he goes slowly, giving me a chance to look around the town more carefully. It is much larger than Karei Town, with more trees and large hills. Karei was built on a flat plane so that would account for the lack of hills. A long river flows from an unseen source in the middle of the town, ending at a lake near the front gates, which I spotted when I first arrive here.

It must be late in the afternoon by now but still it is too quiet, with only a few people standing outside here and there, a lot of them waving to Robin as he pass. He smiles and waves back to them, not stopping as he points certain things out to me. He pulls me over to a bridge and finally lets go of my hand as we stand in the middle of it with me leaning over the thick ropes of the bridge and leaning over the side to look at the rushing waterfall.

I feel his hand on my shoulder, "Do you see that mountain there?" I look up at him and follow his gaze to a mountain a few miles away from the village. "That's Mt. Aleph, where Sol Sanctum is built. There isn't anything special there now because not all of the Heirs have awakened from their slumber, but once the final one does…the Elemental Stars will awaken as well and the Elemental Lighthouses, the Thrones of the Heirs can be lit again."

"And then what?" He smiles at the mountain, eyes brightening.

"Then the monsters that have been plaguing Weyard will return to normal. They weren't always monster, you know?" I blink at this, surprised to hear it. "It is hard to come to terms when you are fighting with them, but ever since the previous Heirs died, Weyard has slipped into dark times. That is why I have to find the last Heir." He looks at me solemnly and I feel his emotions rush over me so clearly, as if I had felt them myself. An intense sadness. He was blaming himself for this.

"Robin…" I reach a hand out to touch his shoulder but he meets my hand before I can touch him. He laces his fingers through mine and turns away, pulling me along the bridge.

"Come on, I want to show you the rest of the village."

"Shouldn't we be training?" I ask him, though I don't mean it. I would rather walk around the village with him than train and end up with a splitting headache before the end of the day.

"I'm a harsh teacher," He says, and there is a hint of laughter in his voice. "And I doubt that you want to start training just yet. This will be better, we have enough time to train later." I smile to myself. I am fine with it this way.

After we leave the bridge, he takes me to a secluded area, behind a wooden fence and stops at a dark looking cave. I hesitate as he walks over to it, releasing my hand to let me go at my own pace. He looks back at me just before he passes through the entrance of the cave, "Come on, it's all right, there's something I want to show you. You trust me, right?"

"Of course, or else I wouldn't be here." I say quickly, not wanting to hurt his feelings, even if he asked it jokingly.

"All right then, it'll be all right." I follow him inside, hurrying when my vision dims because of the darkness. I crash into him, grabbing onto his arm to keep from stumbling. "It's all right, there's a torch up ahead. This is Haidia's secret storage room, only the people closest to the royal family know about it."

"So…wouldn't showing me be a bad idea?" Robin laughs.

"There is only one thing in this place that is of any real importance and it belongs to me, but I really have no use for him." I blink at the tone in his voice. _Him_? I wonder what it could be…

A reddish light gradually fights off the darkness and we enter a large circular room, a lake set in the middle of it with a stone platform in the center, a couple of small stepping stones leading to it. I let go of his arm as he walks over to the water's edge, "Kite, come out, there's someone I want you to meet."

I was busy looking around the cave, but out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of pale blue. It was too quick for me to really see it but as I turn back around to focus on where it had been, I see something sticking up from behind a rock.

Robin sighs, shaking his head, "Kite can be really shy around people." He says, glancing at me quickly before looking back over to the platform, "Come on, Kite, you know I'd never let anyone hurt you. So come out, Prince Ivan is an Air Energist so you'll like him." I take a step closer to Robin and at that moment, a blur of color streaks out from behind the rock, and collides with me.

"Price Ivan!" I fall back onto the ground, taken by surprise and lay there, stars flashing in front of my eyes. I feel something light move on my chest and as I look down, my eyes lock with big, round turquoise ones.

"Eh? Wha-what is this?" I try to keep the shock out of my voice, but it was pointless as my voice cracked.

_"You are an Air Energist…"_ An echo comes from the little creature sitting on my chest and Robin leans down, taking the thing in one hand and helping me up with his other hand. _"I like him, Robin."_

Robin laughs, setting the thing on his shoulder as he kneels down on the ground, brushing the dirt off my pants. "What is it?" I repeat, my voice a little more steady this time, which I am thankful for.

"His name is Kite, and he's a Djinn." Kite bounces up and down on Robin's shoulder happily, hovering in the air every now and then. "I know that there are others out there, I just never came across one of them before I met Kite."

"A Djinn…? Kite…" Robin nods and looks up at me once he is finished dusting me clothes off. "Ah…you didn't have to do that…"

"I know, but…" He pauses, his cheeks coloring for a moment before he shakes it off. "Anyway, Kite is an Air Djinn, and since you are an Air Energist, the two of you can work together." He stands up again, looking down at me, probably a little more open than he wanted to be. "But…if you don't want him, I understand…"

"You said he was important to you, right…?" He nods slowly, "And…you want to give him to me?" He nods again slowly and I smile sincerely. "Thank you, Robin, this means a lot to me." He returns my smile softly and sets Kite on my shoulder.

_"Yeah, now I don't have to be stuck in this cave all the time!"_ We laugh together at this and Kite hops around on my shoulder, a cool breeze blowing on my cheek with each jump.

"I guess that's it for today, it's starting to get late and you'll need your rest for training." He holds his hand out to me as he starts for the cave's entrance.

"When are you going to start training me?"

"Maybe the day after tomorrow," He laughs to himself, "I might just be putting it off for myself, but I do have a valid excuse so I am going to stick with that." I shake my head at him, smiling.

"And here I thought you were perfect, Robin, but you have your flaws too." I see him smile back at me just before the light from the torches disappear and we are thrown into darkness.

DDDDDDDDDD

I can't sleep. Kite does not seem to be having any trouble with it, he is at the foot of the bed, covering with small clothes and dreaming away, or at least I think he is dreaming, his eyes are showing the telltale signs of REM sleep.

My brain is loading down with too many questions, as usual. All I can do is think and keep thinking. I glance at Kite to make sure that he will not wake up before he push the covers off me silently as possible, slip on my boots and tiptoe to the door.

At night, the palace is worse than it is during the day. At least during the day there is light, but at night…the darkness casts strange shadows on the wall, creating frightening figures and move with the natural light drifting in from the nearby windows. I swallow hard as a tree branch shifts outside, a dark claw moving along the wall.

I press my hand against my mouth to keep from crying out and quicken my pace. I hope that a quick stroll will help clear my thoughts, especially now.

I sneak past the sleeping guards, leaning back against the castle walls, their spears propped up against their bodies. It is a good thing that there is a tall fence around the village or else the palace would be unprotected against an attack. I nudge one of the guards with the toe of my boot and he lets out a loud snore. "I feel so safe now…"

I turn away from them and walk down the stone steps lightly, walking along the path until I enter the main part of the village again. The silver light from the moon is dim but it is enough to light my way. I normally do not go out late at night, mainly because it was so dangerous in Karei Town, or at least Lady Layana and Lord Hammet made it seem that way. But here in Haidia, I feel safe, which may mainly be thanks to Robin. Robin really is a hero, but I wonder why he is so cold to other people.

_"The sun sets on the horizon…"_ Ah, that voice…I pause and look around to see where it is coming from. It sounds like it is coming from near the bridge…I lean out from behind a tree and barely manage to stifle the gasp that passes through my lips. It's Robin!

_"The moon slowly rising into the embrace of the sky  
The Heavens are dancing above us  
Because of my pure love for you  
I want this innocent feeling to last forever  
Borne on the wings of this angel before me  
Let me be the first to kiss you  
Let it last forever…"_

"Wow…" His eyes suddenly snap open and he stiffens.

"Who's there?" I see his hand twitch, moving to the katana on his back and I quickly step out from behind the tree, waving my hands defensively.

"It's me, Robin…" He relaxes visibly and motions for me to join him on the bridge. I walk over to him and leans against the rope with him. He says nothing after a few minutes pass between us, the silence isn't tense, and I welcome it but still…"That is a beautiful song, Robin…"

"It isn't mine," He says softly, "My dad composed it for my mother. I only changed it here and there to match my voice, but aside from that…it's still my dad's."

"Even so, I really liked it when you sung it." He smiles, avoiding my gaze.

"That means a lot to me, coming from you, Prince Ivan." I do not think that I will ever get used to him addressing me as 'Prince' all the time, but it does not appear that I have any other choice, he refuses to drop the title.

He seems to realize where we are suddenly, "What are you doing up so late?"

"I couldn't sleep so I thought a walk would clear my head, that's when I heard you singing and decided to see what it was." He sighs, leaning back on the rope.

"You're too curious, Prince Ivan."

"Maybe so, but I learn a lot that way."

"You will also get into a lot of dangerous situations that way." I go to say something but he lays his arm around my shoulders gentle, pulling me closer to him so that my head is resting on his shoulder. He is warm, and the arm around my shoulder is very protective. I lean into his touch, unconsciously snuggling into his embrace. "Prince Ivan, there are those out there that will want to hurt you…"

"I know…" My thoughts are growing foggy and everything I am saying comes out automatically.

"Please be careful, I am afraid that I have grown attached to you a little more than I probably should…you are a dear friend." I smile, closing my eyes.

"That's nice." I say through a yawn, leaning against him heavily. I barely free the light brush of his lips against my temple.

"Good night, my sweet prince."

Good night…Robin.

**TBC**

Notes: Robin's katana: The handle for Robin's sword, it's the handle for those old fashioned katanas, the ones they don't make anyone. Sort of like Kenshin's, and Robin's pretty quick on the attack so it would make sense for him to have a katana. Besides, the kendo boys at my school are hot. :whistles: I'd join just for them!

I'll work on the next chapter over next week, maybe tomorrow depending on what my mother wants to do. Remember to tell your mothers you love them! Tomorrow is Mother's Day!

Alex: I miss my mother…

Oo You have a mother?


	4. The Sanctum

**Heir to the Throne  
By:** Datenma

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Golden Sun. I do own Kyuhi!

**Warning:** Shounen-ai hints! Don't like, don't read.

**Steeple333 – **Kyuhi is an original character of mine. He has a bigger role in my "Golden Sun: Water + Wind" story but I'm not sure how big of a role he should get in this story XD Kyuhi is a bit of a freak.

**Midnyte Wolf – **Another very sweet review. Thank you so much! You're the best reviewer I have ever had If you ever want to request a story, feel free to do so. I love writing stories for other people. :laughs: Don't worry, I'm a bit of an idiot myself, especially when I'm playing video games. :laughs: With reviews like those, I'm surprised my head hasn't inflated to the size of…:looks around: …my dad's ego XD Thank you so much, you make writing worth it

**Azalee – **Because of what you said, I'm thinking about making a little spin-off of what Robin was talking about Because I know there are a lot of Garcia/Picard fans out there and I like the couple too. Picard will show up a little later. I have the later parts of the story planned out…just not how I'm going to get there XD It's a work in progress and I do better when things are planned out. I know, isn't he:tickles Ivan:

Thank you so much for the reviews, I really love getting them. They brighten my day each time I read them. I love to write and I love it when people like what I write. I really appreciate all your kind words. 3 I'll keep the stories coming just for you

I would have gotten this out sooner by I haven't had time to get on the computer long enough before now. I'll work on the 5th chapter as soon as I can and get it up once it's done.

Read and review please!

**Chapter 4:** The Sanctum

One more day of rest before Robin begins my training. I roll over in my bed with that thought floating around in my brain. The sun has not come up yet but I know that I have been sleeping for a couple of hours now, ever since Robin carried me back to my room.

A loud snore carries in the air and attacks my ears. I shift slightly and see Kite out of the corner of my eye, hanging off the edge of the bed, head tossed back as he lets out another snore, a sound too big to belong to someone of his statue. I smile to myself and roll over again, burrowing into the warm sheets to try to fall asleep again.

Before I can fall asleep, though, the door creaks open and my eyes snap open, my body tensing. An assassin? I hold my hand against my chest; preparing to summon an attack and hold my breath, ready to scream at the top of my lungs at the same time. Light, careful footsteps reach my ears, hinting at a person with great skill and grace. I wet my lips and swallow.

The air around me grows thick as the person nears the side of my bed. I open my mouth and breathe in deeply but before I can scream, a cool hand is over my mouth and the sound is muffled. Another hand wraps around me, preventing me from summoning an attack, or directing it for that matter. The person pulls me to the side so that I am lying on my back and in the dim light I can see that it is Robin, leaning over me, his hair slightly disheveled and a weary look on his face.

I try to say his name but it only comes out as a muffled gasp under his hand. He leans forward and whispers right into my ear, his warm breath sending chills down my spine. "Do not talk. There is something I wish to show you before the others wake up." I blink at him but nod and he pulls away slowly. He stands at the edge of my bed as I climb out and remove my pajamas, pulling my pants on.

"I—" He turns to say something to me as I am pulling my tunic on over my head but he turns away, and I can see his flushed cheeks even in the poor lighting. I turn my head to the side and smile to myself as I tie my belt around my waist. I know that I should not think so about someone older than me, but Robin is cute when he acts this way.

"All right." I whisper to him, running a hand through my hair to try to comb the tangles out of it and flatten any wild strands. He looks back at me and smiles softly, his normal smile that I have grown used to but never tire seeing.

Instead of walking over to the door, he crosses the room and goes to the window, unlatching it and pushing it open. He steps onto the sill, only glancing at me once before he pushes off the ledge and jumps through the window. I run to the window and lean out, trying my best not to cry out for me. It is not that far to the ground, I could have made it, but still…

Looking up at me from where he landed, he motions with his hands for me to follow him. "Are you crazy?" I mouth to me, shaking my head. He smirks.

"For you." He mouths back to me, jokingly. My cheeks redden at this and I make a motion to pull away and close the window. For a moment he looks panicked, but then I second guess myself and jump out the window. A minute later I land in his waiting arms.

"And here I thought you were going to leave me waiting all night." He whispers, setting me on the ground. I smile up at him playfully.

"I could have, but I'm not that mean." We stand there for a long moment, just watching each other, the only sound aside from our breathing the gentle song of crickets hiding somewhere in the nearby bushes. Finally, I lean towards him and whisper just loudly enough for him to hear. "So, what did you want to show me that you could not show me when the sun was actually up?"

He snaps out of whatever daze he had fallen into and smiles at me quickly, "Well…I'll tell you why I had to do that when we get there, but I'm sure you'll like it. We have to hurry before anyone wakes up." He takes my hand, almost without thinking and leads me away from the castle, towards the main village.

Instead of heading into the town, he turns and heads past a small sanctum and up the face of the mountain Haidia Village was built around. It takes us awhile but eventually we reach a cliff base where the ground levels out. The base is circular, a strange pattern in the middle set before a platform that leads to an important looking set of sapphire doors.

Robin pauses but only for a moment before taking me up one side of the stairs and to the front of the doors. Now that we are standing so close to the doors I can see that they look heavy, too heavy for just one person to push open. I turn to look at him, "Where are we?" It is the first thing either of us has said since we left the palace.

"This is Sol Sanctum, only a few of the villagers have been to this doorstep, and even less have entered because the Elders have forbidden all from entry." He looks at the doors with a mixture of awe and something else I cannot place.

I blink at him, "Is it dangerous?" He turns away from the doors and looks at me carefully for a long moment before kneeling on the ground at my feet, still holding my hand in his. Taken by surprise by his actions, I take a half step back, as much as he will allow me.

"On my life, Prince Ivan, I swear to you that I will never willingly put you in a dangerous situation if it is in my power to prevent myself from doing so. I am the White Knight, guardian to the Heirs of the Throne to Heaven. I serve all royals in Weyard, however, I feel a special connection to you and so I shall protect you at any cost." He speaks with conviction before bowing his head and kissing my hand lightly. "It is selfish of me, I know, but I am only human. Even if you ask me not to, I shall still protect you."

"It is not that I do not want you to protect me, it is just as I have said before, I haven't really done anything to earn your respect or protection." Robin stands and smiles at me gently, pensively.

"I know, I think that is why I want to protect you so much." He turns away and pushes against one of the doors. To my surprise, it opens for him, revealing a stone room, lit only by torches lining the walls. It is a small room and there is only one other doorway, aside from the one that we have just come through. The doorway is at the far end of the room and hidden by shadows, the light from the flames on either side of it unable to shed light on the doorway.

"I haven't been here much myself because I have to ask for permission each time and it's much more fun sneaking around." He says, grinning at me. I am seeing the reckless side of him more and more, or maybe it is just that he is more carefree on the outside and a little more cautious on the inside because he is trying to put up a front for me. Or I could be over analyzing things again.

He releases his hold on my hand as he opens the door leading out of the entryway and slips through it, not taking up my hand again. As I step through the door to follow after him, I lean down and quickly take hold of his hand. It is not that I am scared…I just do not want to let him get too far ahead of me. He does not turn around to look at me but he squeezes my hand lightly in response.

"This sanctum has been around since the first Heirs were created." He says softly, just enough for me to hear over the sound of our footsteps on the stone floor. "At first it did not house anything of great importance, it was merely the meeting grounds for the four Heirs. When they died, the light of the elemental lighthouses was extinguished and in the heart of this sanctum, the souls of the lighthouses were placed to be protected until new Heirs could be born.

"Everything in this world has a purpose, regardless of how influential it is. The choices we make decide which paths we travel down." He adds, glancing back at me.

"And it's dangerous to just rush into things without thinking about them carefully." I say to him, for both of us. He nods and laughs.

"Exactly."

"You know…we left Kite behind." I whisper as we enter a long corridor, only loud enough for him to barely hear over our echoing footsteps. The floor is made of the same stone as the door to the entrance, a deep blue, easily reflecting the firelight from the torches lining the walls on either side of us. I can feel a mental pull at the back of my mind and the sense of missing something important. It was not too strong, just a numb feeling, something that would be easily overlooked.

"That's all right. He'll find his way out of your room eventually and probably stumble upon Gerald, which should prove very interesting." He smiles back at me and I can see that he is trying very hard not to laugh, "Kite can't stand Fire Energists, but he likes to attach himself to Earth and Air Energists. It's just the way he is. He didn't really like me at first but since I was the only person taking care of him…it was just a matter of time before he got attached to me."

"Who wouldn't get attached to you, Robin?"

"You'd be surprised." He does not add anything to that but he tightens his grip on my hand ever so slightly, maybe a little possessively (though I do read into things a little too much), and walks a little faster.

Before long, we reach a strange room with black and white tiles and a row of statues lined up against the back wall. "Is this it?" I ask, looking around. There are no doors or corridors leading from the room that I can see, aside from the one we had just walked through.

"No, this is just a precaution taken to make sure no one finds the real secrets of Sol Sanctum. It is this way." He pulls me towards the right side of the room and stops before one of the statues. It is a little menacing, standing around nine feet tall without the heavy marble stone base, a grim expression on the man's twisted face. Robin lifts his free hand in front of him and I feel a slight shock from our joined hands. A second later, a large hand appears in the air and moves the stone statue to the side. Robin lowers his arm and the hand that appeared in the air, disappears in a burst of colors.

"Was that…did you…?" He nods, "That was amazing, Robin." He blushes with embarrassment from the compliment, but smiles gently.

"You'll be able to do greater things, Prince Ivan. All you have to do is train, it will take time but most things in life do. If you are willing to work hard, you will be able to do whatever you want." I shake my head.

"I don't know what I want." He laughs, not at me, a little more at himself.

"Neither do I." He tilts his head to the side and looks at me thoughtfully, "Let's find out together. There is no telling how long your training will take, you would be better off if another Air Energist were to teach you. In that time…maybe we'll be able to figure out what we both want out of life, what do you say?"

I nod and hold out my free hand, extending my pinky to him, "Sure, let's pinky promise." He smiles and links his pinky with mine. "Now you can't break that promise, Robin."

"I'd never dream of breaking a promise to you, Prince Ivan." He keeps his pinky entwined with mine for a long moment before he slowly releases it and turns away, "Come on, there's still something I want to show you."

"Huh? But--?" I had not looked back at the statue since he moved it but now that I do, I see a corridor leading out of the room. A secret passageway.

He pulls me through the passageway and into a new hallway. This one is plain, much like the entrance to the sanctum. Torches line the walls, each one burning with their own flame. It must be Psynergy that keeps them lit. As if sensing my question, Robin touches the wood of one of the torches; "The Elders light these torches when they are inducted. The flame only goes out when one dies, so to make sure the Sanctum is always lit, before an elder is about to die, they take his or her replacement and have them light the previous elder's torches. That rarely happens, the elders have a special life force and so they live longer than normal people."

"It sounds sort of morbid." I murmur, pushing myself against Robin when I hear something scurry past. Robin catches it too and shifts slightly to look back at whatever it is.

"I suppose you're right, but…" He does not finish his sentence. Voices carry to us, drifting down the hall.

"Hurry, the elder grows weak, we must light his torches." Robin tenses visibly and freezes in his steps, looking back the way we had come. He mouths a curse and sucks in a breath through his clenched teeth.

"We're going to have to run, Prince Ivan. The Elemental Star room is just ahead. We should be able to make it before the elders reach us." He sighs, "I wasn't aware that his death was so near…I've been gone longer than I thought. Come now." He tightens his grip on my hand and I only get a seconds warning before he breaks out into a silent run. I struggle to match his pace at first but somehow manage.

We skid around a corner and after dashing down a short hall; enter a beautiful room filled with a pale blue light, a tile picture of a crescent moon on the floor in the middle of the room. I look up at the ceiling and see that the light is coming from there, silver waves of light dancing around the room. "Wow…Robin, it's…"

I turn to him but he is not smiling, or admiring the room's arcane beauty. He looks panicked almost. "I didn't leave the room like this…I returned everything to how it had been so no one could get to the Elemental Stars…even if they are dormant…Venus, Mars, and Mercury still have some of their power, though…"

"Clever boy." We turn and see a man coming towards us from another room. The bottom half of his face is hidden by a blue turtleneck, but even so, Robin seems to know him by his voice alone. He steps in front of me and draws his sword. "Nice to see you are still as impatient as ever, White Knight. It would be a pity if you somehow managed to learn to wait until you got all the details before rushing into things."

"Don't patronize me, Alex. You turned your back on us, not the other way around." The man's eyes darkened.

"I should be the one with the power, Robin, not you. You don't deserve it, you don't know the true extent of its greatness, and you're too pure to ever test the limits of the power."

"Alex…" His eyes slant slightly as he smirks.

"I've found a new master now and he's better than the old man. He's taught me more than that man ever did." He laughs, "You have no idea what is taking place around you as we speak. That boy there plays a greater role in this than you think."

"If you or your master lay a hand on him, I'll kill the both of you, mark my words."

"Empty threats, Robin, empty threats."

"You'll say anything to assure your own safety." Robin hisses angrily. He lifts his hand and three sharp spires of earth form above his head, each point directed at the man. "I swore to protect Prince Ivan with my life and that is a promise I intent to keep." He sends the spires flying at Alex but the man disappears before they can tear through him.

"Don't be in such a hurry to die, Robin. You're still quite young. What you seek is just around the corner, my old friend." The voice fades and Robin relaxes gradually.

"That…guy…" I whisper, tugging at Robin's hand. He sheathes his sword and turns his head to the side, avoiding my gaze.

"We were students, taught by the same master. We were pitted against each other for the title of guardian of the Heirs. As I told you before, I got the title and he hated me because of it. I didn't want it in the first place, all I wanted was to go home and be normal. That hope died the day I became the White Knight." He shakes his head, "Alex wants all of this so badly, he thinks that it's all about the power, he's so blinded by that that he cannot see the truth…People expect so much of me, they forget that I'm still only seventeen, that I'm still learning things about myself."

"Robin…" He takes a deep breath, trying to regain his composure.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness. I was complaining, I know I shouldn't. There are good things about being the White Knight." His eyes lock with mine for a moment before he looks away, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "The people I meet, the friends I make along the way…I'd never trade that for a normal life, not in a million years. If I was given the chance to, I'd do it all over again, exactly the same way."

"You wouldn't change a thing?"

"Not a thing." I smile lightly to myself. Somehow it felt as if that had been directed at me, though that might just be wishful thinking.

He moves away from the entrance, brining me with him. As he steps over the image of the crescent moon, the room beings to shake and he stops so that I do not lose my balance. There is a strange 'whooshing' sound and across from us, as a bluish light shines on the wall; a golden-framed door appears there, a curtain of blue light glowing in the doorway.

"Since the door wasn't here…maybe Alex didn't go in." He looks down at me, "Maybe you should stay here. If Alex somehow managed to remove the Stars, it could be dangerous in there. I don't want to take any chances."

I try not to pout but I can tell by his expression that I failed. "But Robin, what if he comes back and you're gone? Wouldn't it be more dangerous if I were to stay behind on my own?" He frowns at me now.

"All right, Prince Ivan." He pulls me towards the strange door and steps in. It was as if an invisible force was pulling me through the doorway, too strong for me to fight against.

As I moved through the doorway, it was almost as if time lost all meaning. A second, a minute, an hour. How much time had passed before I reached the other side? It was quick but at the same time, it seemed to drag on for countless seconds. However much time had passed when I reached the other side, my feet final touch solid ground. And I slip.

Robin catches me at the last second and helps me to my feet, holding onto my hand and my waist to keep me balanced. I look around and my breath catches in my throat. I would say something like 'words could not explain the surreal beauty before my eyes' but that would be a lie and only poetic, lovesick fools would say something like that. I am not that old or that in love—though I cannot say that I have ever fallen in love.

But this room…if you could even call it that…was absolutely beautiful. The sound of gentle waves reaches my ears and I lean over a ledge to see clear water far below. "Amazing…"

Robin smiles as he extends a hand to catch a bit of glittering light falling from the ceiling. To my surprise, it remains in his hand. He holds that hand out to me and I see a small gem lying in the palm of his bare hand, sparkling even in the poor light.

"It's a Psynergy Crystal." He explains as I continue to stare at the gem with wide eyes. "Mt. Aleph is just one big Psynergy Crystal, not to mention a volcano…" I tear my eyes away from his hand and look up at him.

"Vo-volcano? This is…"

"There's no need to panic. The Elemental Stars are preventing the volcano from erupting, not that it is active at the moment." I swallow nervously, even with his words of attempted comfort.

"It seems a bit dangerous, don't you think? Building a large village at the base of a volcano—active or not." Robin smiles.

"Sort of like we're tempting fate, I guess." He laughs and shakes his head, "I suppose you're right but…we've been here for the longest time—protecting the Sanctum and the Elemental Stars. Anything else would just be…abnormal, and it wouldn't feel like home to me. Though, I have to admit that Haidia doesn't really feel like 'home' now, but it's where my parents are, so that's good enough for me."

He slips the gem into my hand before pointing off into a direction across from us. I follow his hand and see a bright crimson orb of light in the distance. "The Mars Star." He turns me around and points again, "The Mercury Star." A pale blue orb of light and I can see this one a little more clearly. It is a clear orb of some kind and in its depths is a storm of blue light, dancing about as if being played with by the wind. It is seated in the hands of a statue of a woman, lightly cradled in her arms, enough so not to break the delicate looking orb. Down from that and a little closer to us, Robin points towards a golden orb of light. "The Venus Star." This is also cradled in the hands of a woman, but her appearance is a little different from that of the woman holding the Mercury Star.

He turns me around one last time and points a little ways down from the Mars Star. I can barely see this one; it is just a faint glow, not nearly as bright as the other ones. "And that is the Jupiter Star, it is not as strong as the others because the Jupiter Heir has yet to awaken, but once he does…the Jupiter Star will return to its former glory and the four elemental lighthouse will be lit and everything we be protected by the Heirs, just as it should be."

"You have a lot of confidence in that." I say softly, glancing at him. He turns to me and nods.

"Though I was not around when the former Heirs were alive, my parents were and they told me about how wonderful it was. If it is true, then I won't have to be the White Knight anymore. I just have to guard the Heirs and they are going to be just fine. There won't be anyone willing to harm them. I can travel like I really want to. I want to see the world without any incentive aside from just going out and seeing everything there is to see." He smiles at me honestly, "I want everyone I love to feel safe."

I blush at the comment, almost as if it were directed at me and turn my head to the side. I drop his hand and walk over to the path leading to the Jupiter Star. "I want to get a closer look, is that all right?" His eyes widen slightly as I turn on my heel to call back to him. I feel the ground slip under my feet and a sinking feeling as I loose my balance; my arms wind milling about as I try to get my regain my balance.

Just as Robin is about to reach me, he slips as well and falls flat on his face. Thankfully, the edge of the platform was far enough that I did not fall over and merely landed on the ground with a hard thud, wincing at the jolt of pain that ran up my spine. I feel a hand wrap around my ankle and let out a little gasp before I realize that Robin is the one holding onto me. "Don't make a habit of this, Prince Ivan, you're going to give me a heart attack if you keep it up." He groans, lifting his head and looking at me. There is a read mark on his forehead from his fall.

"I'm sorry. I forgot that the ground was so slippery." If he was mad at me, it disappeared with that and he pulls on my ankle, bringing me away from the edge and closer to him.

"It's all right, I'm just worried about you." He pushes himself up onto his knees and places his hands on my hips for a moment before he seems to realize something, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment. He looks up at me but does not remove his hands from my hips. "D-do you hurt anywhere?" I blink at him for a moment, not sure what he means and then I realize what it is and blush as well.

"Uh…er…no…I'm all right, thank you for worrying about me, though." He seems a little relieved by this and removes his hands from my hips, getting to his feet before helping me up as well.

"You can look at the Jupiter Star but be careful." I smile and nod, turning carefully and walking over to the path of small pillars leading to the Star's platform. I jump carefully from one to another, Robin's words carrying over to me from the main platform. "Since you're an Air Energist, it's only natural that you would want to be closer to the Jupiter Star. It holds the secrets to the true power of the Jupiter Lighthouse—which is in Contigo." I pause at this and look back at him.

"Contigo? My home?" He nods.

"Yes. If you want, I could probably convince Lord Hammet or the King to let me take you there one day, if not," He smirks, "I could just kidnap you."

"That sounds very romantic." I laugh at him, turning away and jumping onto the platform with the Jupiter Star on it.

"I know." He watches me carefully as I step towards the Jupiter Star, extending my hand to touch it. When he does not say anything I touch it gingerly. At first nothing happens but then the orb flashes once and begins to glow as brightly as the other orbs. I remove my hand quickly and as soon as I do, the light dies down again to a solemn glow.

I back away from the orb and look down at my hand. On the palm of my hand is a strange marking of a dark violet bird but it is gradually fading, losing its color. I blink at it and look over to where Robin is. He is making his way towards me, a worried expression on his face. "Prince Ivan, are you all right?" He asks once he reaches me.

"Yes, I just touched it and…"

"Give me your hand." He takes my hand when I raise it up to him and he frowns, letting out a sigh, "For a second…I thought…" His eyes pass over my body a couple of times before locking eyes with me again. "Did you anything strange on your hand?"

I should tell him. I want to tell him, it is Robin after all, though I have not known him for long, I feel that I can trust him with everything, more than anyone else that I know. So why… "I didn't see anything strange…" Did I have to lie to him about this?

He seems a little disappointed but the moment passes and he places a hand on my cheek, brushing the pad of his thumb lightly on my cheek. "Good, I do not want you dragged into anything dangerous. Come on, we should be getting back to the palace before anyone finds out that we are missing."

We return to the main room inside the inner Sanctum and Robin resets the trap, the door disappearing once he is done. "If you want to come back, tell me. Next time I'll ask for permission so that I don't get you into any trouble with the Elders."

"Robin, you're such a trouble maker." I laugh teasingly at him, playfully bumping into his arm as we walk down the hall together.

"Is it that big of a surprise?"

"Just a little." He smiles at me, shaking his head.

Everything is going just fine. Until we round the corner and come face to face with…

"The Elders. Shit." Robin mutters. The three old men give him a dirty look and I duck behind Robin.

"Sir Robin, Prince Ivan, you are both in very big trouble."

Oh man…

TBC 

Interesting little note, the pinky thing done between Robin and Ivan was purposely done on my part (of course), for other reasons than just a cute way to make a promise. The pinky symbolizes "lover" (according to Shinobu from Yukie Nasu's 'Here is Greenwood' a great manga—I suggest reading it if you get the chance. Shounen-ai) and I wanted to foreshadow Robin and Ivan's relationship a little. XD Not too big of a giveaway considering I **love** that couple.

:sighs: I hate Travis XD :whomps Trent if he ever reads this: Don't tell him though! Yeah. I'm random. I hope this chapter was everything is should be

Have a great summer, everyone! Until next time!


	5. The White Knight's Decision

**Heir to the Throne  
By: **Datenma

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Golden Sun but I do own Kyuhi and Myles.

**Warning: **Shounen-ai hints. Don't like, don't read

Thanks so much for the lovely reviews. I totally adore you and the reviews:has Akito bake brownies for everyone: Yes. My demon boy can bake. How do you think Okami survives XD He can't cook.

**Steeple333 – **Really? Thank you for letting me know XD :stabs self: Heh. I know, I really did not want their relationship going too fast because that just would not seem right, especially with how both of them are, they just don't seem so trusting of romantic relationships, at least…that's how I see it XD

**Azalee –** XD I could not help myself I just had to bring in Alex.

Read and review please.

**Chapter 5:** The White Knight's Decision

This was not supposed to happen.

Robin stands tense at my side, his head bowed low as he glares at his boots, fists balled so tightly that his nails bit into the palm of his hands, drawing a trickle of blood that drips onto the floor. I turn away from him quickly, clenching my eyes shut. I do not want to see him like this. I feel as if it is my fault.

The silence around us is so intense. The air is thick with it, almost as if we are about to be sentenced to our deaths and from the grim look on the King and Queen's face, they might as well be our executioners. I wish Garcia were here; he might be able to say something in our defense.

"White Knight," There was an edge in the King's voice as he spoke and I felt Robin grow even more tense next to me, as if he is fighting back against something. "We are very disappointed in you. We left Prince Ivan in your care; we did not put you in charge of him so that he could be your own personal playmate. The natural thing to do would be to relieve you of your duties towards the prince but since you are the only one capable of protecting him, that is not an option open to us."

The Queen tries to smile at us but it comes out more as a frown than anything else. "The two of you will be watched by the guards around the clock, no exceptions. You are to both be on your best behavior, especially when in the company of each other. White Knight, you are to start Prince Ivan's training at sunrise tomorrow, no questions asked, this is the reason he was brought here in the first place.

"He may be in Haidia Village now, but his life is still in danger." The King says, resting his chin on his hand. "The guards are too busy at the moment so the two of you will not be watched today but come tomorrow morning, they will be on high alert. White Knight, you know better than to go to the Sanctum without permission—I can forgive Prince Ivan this much but you…"

"I understand, Your Highness." Hisses Robin and not waiting to be dismissed, turns on his heel and walks out, the doors slamming behind him. I open my eyes and look at the place where he was standing, a small collection of blood droplets staining the floor.

"That boy has such a short-temper." The Queen sighs softly. She smiles at me finally, "Prince Ivan, you can run along now, please be good. We do not want anything bad happening to you while you are in our care." I nod. Somehow, she seems more worried about herself than me, with a statement like that.

I turn my back to them and walk to the doors slowly, pulling one open and slipping out into the deserted hallway. I look left and then right. Where could Robin had run off to in such a hurry? I want to apologize to him. The thought of him being mad at me hurts more than the King and Queen's words of distrust.

I roam about the castle, not running into anyone who can tell me where Robin went. An hour passes before I realize that I have gotten lost. I let out a groan and turn into a corridor that ends up leading me outside into a beautiful courtyard. It seems to be enclosed by the castle, four stonewalls surrounding it, a small pond in the middle with a waterfall supplying it with fresh water.

I start to walk onto the grass but stop and instinctively hide behind a bush when I hear voices. "I've had enough of their shit, Gerald." Robin!

"I know, Robin, but there isn't much you can do. You made a promise, both to those people and to Prince Ivan." The two come into view, Robin looking angry and Gerald worried. Robin turns and punches the pillar next to him, denting it. I jump and cover my mouth to muffle the gasp.

"That is the only reason I am here right now!" He seems to calm down for a moment, "It isn't that I feel obligated by my promise…it's just that I don't want to see Ivan harmed by the King's stupidity. He's foolhardy and reckless when it comes to his children. Garcia can more than take care of himself and that's why he ditches his duties as crown prince to go off with Picard. As for Jasmine…the King is putting Ivan in danger because of her! This isn't right, Gerald."

"Robin, we're just pawns to the royals, they don't care what happens, even Prince Ivan. He is disposable to them. The only reason they give even a little care to Prince Picard is because of Garcia's attachment to him. If anything happened to him, Garcia would snap and…that would not be good for them." Robin smiles at him.

"Nice way to put it, Garcia. But still, they just can't go around treating people like objects. They have everyone in town other than us whipped—even my parents willingly follow their every command. It makes me sick."

"Which is why the White Knight stays as far from Haidia Village as he possibly can."

"It seems you have finally found me out. Took you four or so years but it's better late than never." Robin lets out a sigh and sits on one of the benches. "I have a plan, Gerald, but I am going to need your help if it is going to work."

Gerald grins, "I love it when you think evilly! Welcome back to the dark side, Robin!"

"Meet me at Kyuhi's house at sunset. I am going to need his help as well. I want it to be kept between just the three of us for the moment. Go tell Kyuhi that we need his help for something and to be ready whenever I come." Gerald nods and runs off after clasping Robin on the shoulder.

I sink back behind the bushes as he disappears into the castle, leaving Robin and myself alone. Robin has yet to move from the bench so I cannot sneak back into the castle and I cannot apologize to him because I was listening in on a private conversation.

"Prince Ivan, I know you are listening." I jump and turn to look at him. He is looking down at his hands, a golden glow appearing there briefly before he sighs and looks up at me. "Come here please." I hesitate for a moment but his eyes soften and I can tell he is not mad anymore, at least not at me.

I push myself to my feet and walk over to him slowly, standing in front of him once I reach the bench. He holds his left hand out to me and before I can do anything, pulls me onto the bench next to him. "Robin!"

"Shh. I am sure that there are attendants watching us at the very least. The King and Queen are not going to trust me alone with you after this. The Sanctum is a very sacred place; the Elders will not even allow them in. The only reason I am given permission is because of my relationship with the Gods, though they see it more as an obligation to allow me in than anything else. It is not as if they respect me or anything, though I do have the title of White Knight, it means nothing to them as long as I am still a teenager."

"That isn't fair."

"You should not let it to upset you, Prince Ivan." He says softly, pushing himself from the bench and looking back at me. "Allow me to deal with this matter personally. If I have your trust, this matter will go over smoothly." Again I hesitated. If only people would talk to me normally rather than in cryptic riddles maybe then I would understand what is going on.

"My trust? If that is all…then, of course you have it, Robin. You don't even have to ask something like that. If I did not trust you…I probably would not be here in the first place." He looks away, running a hand through his tousled locks as a gentle gust of wind blows past us.

"You probably would not be in this situation, either. It is my fault for taking you to the Sanctum this morning. It was not my place to do such a thing." I push myself further onto the bench, bringing myself closer to one of the corridors leading back into the castle. He catches the movement and turns to look at me with a confused expression.

"But…that isn't what you really want to say, is it?" He blinks at me for a moment before his eyes widen in panic. Before I can do or say anything, he darts forward, his right hand bracing himself on the bench at my side and his other grabbing my wrist tightly, preventing me from moving.

"Wait, Prince Ivan, I—" He stops himself, either as if he just realized something or if he forgot what he was going to say. He bows his head, pulling back a little and loosening his grip on my wrist but not letting go completely. "It isn't that I do not want to tell you what is going on, I just cannot while we are in this place. There are far too many restrictions keeping me bound while I am here. That is why I plan to do something about it." He glances around us before leaning forward, whispering into my ear, "Have your things packed before midnight. Don't ask any questions and please wait for me only."

He pulls away again and kneels in front of me, letting his hand slip from around my wrist until his fingers brushed along mine. He tightens his grip then and presses his lips to the back of my hand, opening his eyes to direct a smirk at me. "Life certainly is not boring while you are around, my little prince." He gets to his feet and dusts off his pants before returning to the inner castle, leaving me alone in the vast courtyard.

I blow lightly at a strand of hair that slips into his eyes and blush down at my hand. "He kissed my hand again…I'm not really sure what to think about that." I sigh deeply before lowering myself gently onto the bench, stretching out my muscles. I do not really see what the big problem is, the punishment that the King and Queen gave to us did not seem all that bad. Then again, when I think about it hard enough…I do not like the idea of being watched all the time while I am here.

I let out a loud, frustrated groan and rake my hands through my hair. A kid my age should not have to deal with all these problems. I just want to go back to Karei Town, though I know I could never do that now, not with what I know. Going back to a 'normal' life would seem selfish, especially with Robin. He has sacrificed so much and he never asked for this kind of life. I cannot say that we are alike because he has been in this much longer than I have and I doubt that he had someone helping him like he is helping me.

I scared. Things have been going by so fast and…there are things I cannot remember, things that I should remember. Ever since Lord Hammet took me to Vault, things have just been going faster and faster and I cannot keep up as hard as I try, as much as I want to. I do not want to complain about it, though. That will make me seem weak and I do not want to embarrass Robin like that, he has put so much faith into me…I at least owe him this much.

_"Ivan." A familiar voice. A woman's voice. Lady Layana? "Ivan, honey, it's time to get up." I flinch as the curtains next to my bed are flung open. I sit up slowly and see Lady Layana moving about the room, just trying to keep herself busy._

_"Lady Layana?" I ask, my voice rough from sleep. She turns around and smiles at me warmly._

_"Hurry up and get dressed, Ivan. There is someone that we want you to meet. He has come a long way just to see you." She pulls me from my bed and I have to lean heavily on her so as not to fall onto the floor, my legs still not obeying my brain's commands._

_"Someone from far away?" I ask, barely managing to cover a yawn as she pushes me into my closet to get changed._

_"Yes, from the far south. A place where it snows all the time, Lord Hammet agreed to start trade with his father and when he heard about you, he was so interested that Lord Hammet said that he could come along as well. He is around your age too, Ivan…" Lady Layana claps her hands together as I pull a clean tunic on over my head. "This is wonderful, Ivan, you'll have a little playmate."_

_For some reason, I am not as happy about that as she is. Either because I am too groggy from sleep…or because of the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I pull on my gloves and open the closet door to see Lady Layana still standing there, beaming at me as she turns at the sound of the door opening. "Ivan…you are so adorable. You are going to make one man very happy." She pulls me into a tight hug and I flinch again._

_"A man? L-Lady Layana!"_

_Together we go to meet Lord Hammet's guests in the throne room. Lady Layana stops me a few feet from the two people standing before the thrones and the young boy standing next to the man turns slowly to look at me, my heart stopping when I lock eyes with him. Ice cold, pale blue eyes, almost lifeless. He smirks at me, a frightening action that makes his eyes look even more like the glass eyes of a porcelain doll._

_"Ivan, this is Myles."_

_"Hello, Ivan."_

I blink up at the velvety, star-filled sky. Everything seems so peaceful but…my heart is racing. Myles. Why did I not remember him before now? He came from a country far south of here, a country I could not pronounce back then so chose not to remember. He had to be a year or so younger than me but his mind seemed so dark and sinister, not like the mind of normal seven-year-olds. I was scared of him, to say the least and I refused to be left alone with him without Lady Layana or one of the attendants that I trusted. Just…something about him…

Those pale blue eyes…nothing like Robin's. Robin's eyes are so full of life and fire, the sort of eyes that made people feel special. Myles' eyes carried none of Robin's charm. A shameful copy almost.

Robin…

Oh crap! I sit up and look around the sky, trying to figure out what time it was by the stars that hung there. The constellations on this part of the continent are different from those in Karei Town so I cannot tell just by the stars alone. I scramble to my feet and hop over the bench onto the ground and run to my room, hoping not to get lost.

Somehow I manage to find my room and throw all my things together before sinking to the floor next to the window, gasping for breath.

_"Oooh, where have you been?"_ I jump before I realize that it was Kite, hovering towards me. I shake my head and sigh at him. _"You know, I have not seen Robin either…the two of you are very close. I am glad, Robin needs someone that will get him to be more careful about his well-being."_

"What do you mean by that, Kite?" Kite lands on my shoulder and shakes, in what I can only guess is his way of saying 'no'. I sigh and get onto my knees, pushing the window open to look outside.

"Ivan." A soft whisper, barely audible carries up to me from the ground. I look down to see Robin standing there with Gerald at his side, talking to another man in a hushed voice. "Ivan, come on, it's time to go."

"Go? Go where?" Robin smirks, holding his hands out to me.

"We're breaking out of the prison."

TBC 

I would have gotten this done sooner but my friends came over, however…:evil smirk: I HAVE LEVEL-C! I 3 Kazuomi and Mizuki! And Mirage of Blaze fans! Did you know that they are coming out with the OVA? I am so in love with MoB. I thought the ending was so sad, because Takaya…:stops herself before she goes into a MoB rant: I love MoB, I really do. You just can't stop me when I start talking about it XD I'll spare everyone, though.

This went a little fast…Oh well. Once I finish it, I'll try to go back and make it all flow. My mind's getting a little scattered. I've got to make my appointment for senior pictures. Then I've got to get an appointment to get my contacts because my prescriptions changed just slightly but it is a little harder to see (I'm near-sighted but it's hard to see the computer screen right now but it hurts when I wear my glasses XD) and then I've got to get my hair done. :sighs: So much to do. And hurricane season's started up again. I am not happy about that. Grrr. Oh well. What can ya do. :looks at Alex and Robin:

Robin/Alex: What?

Never mind. Until next time!


	6. The Escape

**Heir to the Throne  
By: **Datenma

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Golden Sun, I do own Kyuhi!

**Midnyte Wolf –** I was starting to get worried about you XD But I'm glad to hear from you, and please don't worry about it. There's still a lot of this story to go My stories are always going to be waiting. Heh and please don't say it like that. It makes me sound like a bad person XD I wouldn't write a story for just anyone. If that's the case…you wouldn't mind if I dedicated a story to you? You've been really sweet

**Azalee –** Yeah, Myles has been in works for a while now. I changed his name twice before I saw this one and decided that it was the perfect name for him XD And yes! I had fun with the whole "man" thing. I got inspired by Kyou Kara Maou! (Wolfram's mother says that all the men will lust after him XD)

**Steeple 333 – **Haha. Don't worry, you're not alone. That's partly why I chose to put Kite in this rather than one of the other Djinn. I love .hack's Kite And he is so cute with Elk

Thank you so much for the reviews, everyone!

**Chapter 6: **The Escape

"We're breaking out of the prison." He whispers up to me quietly. I look back into the room to make sure that no one was coming before I turn back to look at Robin. "Jump out of the window, you know I'll catch you." I nod to him and climb onto the windowsill, slipping out and falling quickly through the air. I let out a short gasp as I land in Robin's arms, our eyes locking for a moment before he smiles at me and set me on the ground.

"A quick introduction before we make a break for it." Gerald says, motioning for me to come closer to him and the other man. Robin slips his arm around his shoulder, pulling me close to him. The other man with them smiles softly and bows to me. I go to bow to him but Robin holds me in place.

"This is Kyuhi, we needed his help so that is why he is here." Robin says softly.

"It is both my pleasure and honor to assist the young prince of Contigo in anyway possible." He turns to Robin, his smile slipping away quickly. "There isn't much time before sunrise, Robin, we must act quickly. I will inform His Highness about your leaving and perhaps the two of you can meet up once his time in Lemuria is spent."

"Perhaps…but the King and Queen would become worried if he did not show up eventually. I have a feeling that this is going to take a long time." Kyuhi ran a hand through his long hair and flashes us another quick smile.

"Nothing comes easily, right? If you want to get this over with, you are going to have to work for it, Robin. Now, I shall stall the King and Queen for as long as I can but other than that, I haven't much influence over them."

"No more than I do. I know that they will not listen to reason but I refuse to train Prince Ivan recklessly, he was drawn into this because of their selfish desires. He is my responsibility because it is my fault that Jasmine was kidnapped in the first place." Kyuhi sighs softly and turns away from us, looking up at the moon.

"Is it a selfish desire to want your child back safely? No matter the cost?" Robin looks down at his feet and the hand lying on my shoulder tightens slightly. Kite leaves my shoulder and lands on top of Robin's head, a small breeze playing with Robin's hair. "I know they are royalty, Robin, but they are only human. What would your parents do if something ever happened to you or your brother?"

Kyuhi waits for a moment before looking back at Robin, smiling again. "No matter, this isn't the time for such talk. In time, you will come to understand on your own, but someone very important to you is threatened." It may have just been my imagination but as he says this, Kyuhi's eyes dart to me for a second before falling on Robin again. I continue to watch Kyuhi but he does not look at me again.

"He's right, Robin, we have to get far enough away from Haidia that the King and Queen don't send anyone to follow us."

"We? Us?" I blink at him before turning to Robin. Robin nods, breaking out of his silence.

"Gerald's coming with us, he insists…and this way I'll be able to protect you better without worrying about myself." Gerald grins.

"Yep, that's what I'm here for. I'll make sure that Robin doesn't do anything stupid." Robin shakes his head calmly.

"No, I think you have it the other way around, Gerald. Out of the two of us, you are more likely to do something stupid." Before they could get into an increasingly loud argument (mainly Gerald getting louder), Kyuhi waves his hand in front of their faces.

"Unless you both want to get us into trouble, you'll stop your senseless bickering this instant. There is far too much at stake. Something is going on, something more than what you think it is. You are going to have to go to Master Hama, she'll know what to do and will be able to help Ivan learn what he needs to know. Robin, you know the way so take Prince Ivan there as soon as possible, try not to take any pointless detours. It will take long enough to get to Lama Temple without going anywhere else."

"Lama Temple? But that's so far…" Gerald complains and I glance between Robin and Gerald. Lama Temple? I have never heard of such a place…though…there is a lot about Weyard that I still do not know. Maybe this will be my chance to learn more about all the other towns and villages.

"There isn't much choice." Robin lets out a sigh.

"All right then, we'll go to Master Hama but I doubt she will be pleased to see me again so soon." Kyuhi laughs softly and ruffles Robin's hair, upsetting Kite and forcing him to take flight again.

"Did you give the poor Master trouble, Robin? You can be stubborn, I'll admit." He sighs, "As much as I would love to take up more of your precious time, there isn't more left. You know what you must do, Master Hama will know of your arrival so make haste. The people after Prince Ivan are most likely still out there, and close by. They will not give up so easily. You'll have to be extra careful when you go to towns."

"What have you heard, Kyuhi?" Robin narrows his eyes slightly but Kyuhi waves his hands.

"Nothing, nothing. It is just the paranoid words of an old man. Now, please, let us go to the gates. There is no telling if someone is awake or not, and if they see us leaving, they may inform the guards." With that, Gerald and Kyuhi nod to each other and start to head for the stairs.

Robin takes a step to follow them but pauses for a moment and turns around, leaning down close to my ear and whispering an apology. I look up at him, blushing but he turns away without an explanation and leads me to the stairs as well.

We reach the gates without trouble and Kyuhi climbs the ladder on the side. After a moment of silence, there is a groan from the gates and it slowly creaks open. Kyuhi leans out from the tower at the town of the gate and waves to us. "Good luck, and be careful. I'll never forgive myself if anything happened to you."

Robin waves to him as we pass through the gates and Kyuhi closes them behind us. "Thank you, and try not to get into trouble with the King and Queen, they hate you enough as it is."

"Gee, thanks for the confidence boost, you're a great kid, Robin." He disappears from view, and Robin turns away, looking down the path towards the horizon.

"I did not think that I was going to be leaving Haidia again so soon." He sighs as Gerald grins at him.

"Come on, Robin, just think of it as another adventure. This is great! I never get to leave Haidia."

"I cannot think of it as an adventure, Gerald, and neither should you. This is not supposed to be some pleasure trip or anything. Prince Ivan's life is in danger as long as we are out here. Those assassins will come back, I am sure of it." I lean against Robin and he looks down at me, slightly startled. "Prince Ivan, are you all right?" He whispers to me gently.

"It's all right, I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me all the time. I'm not that fragile." He smiles at me and inches closer but pulls away when Gerald says something. He looks at him, cheeks tinged with color.

"What?" Gerald grumbles something before speaking up again.

"I asked you which way we have to go." Robin sighs but does not show it in his voice.

"There is only one way for us to go. We have to go through Goma Range to get to the Bilibin. From there, we go through Kolima Forest and after a week or so of walking, we should get to Lama Temple." Gerald whirls around, stomping over to Robin. Robin pushes me away as Gerald grabs the front of his tunic rather roughly.

"A week?" Robin sighs grasping Gerald's hands and forcing him to release him. "A week!" He exclaims again.

"What? Did you think that this was going to be short? If you think you are going to miss your parents, you can go back now. Gerald, I'll be able to protect Ivan and myself just fine on my own. There really isn't any point in you coming along, I just didn't want you to go off and tell someone where we had gone before anyone at the palace found out." Gerald deflates at this.

"You didn't have to go and say it so harshly, Robin."

"I had to, otherwise you would not see the severity of this matter until it was too late. Now, there isn't any time to waste." Robin turns to me and holds out his hand. "Are you ready to go, Prince Ivan?" I nod to him and he hesitates for a second before reaching around behind me and pulling my hood over my head. "Maybe you should keep that on, just in case."

I smile and laugh softly, "Thank you."

"All right then, let's get going."

**TBC**

A little short but that's all there was to this chapter. More in the next one and I have a feeling that someone special might pop up…but it just might be my stomach growling from lack of food.

Alex: Tch. No surprise. Eat, you stupid woman!

Food? I need no food:sways: Now that you mention it…I probably should…I'm getting so bad lately, I'm just so busy that I don't sit down and eat anymore. Oh and I'm planning some new stories. Another Golden Sun one that's going to be really cute And a Boku to Maou one (Okage: The Shadow King) but for that one…I'm not sure who to make Luka (Ari) go with…either Stan or Epros, and then a .hack one (maybe). Hey…I just noticed something…:turns to Alex: Are you worried about me?

Alex: I—um…erm…

Thank you, Alex I know you are really a sweetheart. I'll work on the next chapter but it'll take a while to get out since it's going to be long Read and review please!


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